The State Council approved the Ministry of Education’s Opinions on Higher Education Enrollment in 1977, formally restoring the national college entrance examination system after its Cultural Revolution-era suspension.
The first session of the restored national college entrance examination began in mid-December 1977, opening university access to millions (including many former "sent-down" youths) based primarily on exam performance.
The CCP Central Committee issued its Decision on the Reform of the Educational Structure, a key 1980s policy document that reshaped governance and priorities across China’s education system, including higher education.
China reorganized its central education administration: the National People’s Congress Standing Committee decided to abolish the Ministry of Education and establish the National Education Commission, reflecting the reform-era restructuring of education governance.
The National People’s Congress enacted the Education Law of the PRC, providing an overarching legal framework for China’s education system (including higher education) and supporting reforms through national legislation.
China initiated Project 211 (aiming to prepare about 100 universities for the 21st century), channeling targeted investment toward selected institutions and disciplines to raise research and training capacity.
At Peking University’s 100th anniversary, Jiang Zemin called for building first-class universities, a statement widely treated as the launch signal for what became Project 985 (a major excellence initiative).
The Higher Education Law of the PRC was adopted and promulgated, clarifying institutional governance, rights and obligations, and the legal basis for higher-education development in the reform era.
The Higher Education Law of the PRC entered into force, strengthening the rule-of-law approach to managing higher education and providing a statutory foundation for subsequent expansion and restructuring.
The State Council ratified The Plan to Revitalize Education in the 21st Century, setting explicit national targets for higher-education participation and helping set the stage for late-1990s massification policies.
In mid-1999, central agencies announced a large one-time increase in freshman quotas (including an additional 337,000 places shortly before the exam), a landmark move associated with the start of rapid higher-education mass expansion.
The 1999 national college entrance examination was held after last-minute enrollment increases, and total higher-education enrollment jumped sharply that year—an inflection point in China’s transition toward mass higher education.
Higher Education Expansion and Gaokao Restoration (1977–2000s)
