Gaokao
The National College Entrance Examination , commonly abbreviated as the Gaokao, is the annual nationally coordinated undergraduate admission exam in mainland China, held in early June. Despite the name, the exam is conducted at the provincial level, with variations determined by provincial governments, under the central coordination of the Ministry of Education of China.
Gaokao is required for undergraduate admissions to all higher education institutions in the country. It is taken by high school students at the end of their final year.
History
Background
The first Gaokao was held on 15–17 August 1952.The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges marked the start of the reform of National Matriculation Tests Policies in the newly established People's Republic of China. With the implementation of the first Five Year Plan in 1953, the NMTP was further enhanced. After repeated discussions and experiments, the NMTP was eventually set as a fundamental policy system in 1959. From 1958, the tertiary entrance examination system was affected by the Great Leap Forward Movement. Unified recruitment was soon replaced by separate recruitment by individual or allied tertiary education institutions. Meanwhile, political censorship on candidate students was enhanced. From 1962, the NMTP system was criticized due to its negative impact on the working class; In July 1966, the NMTP was officially canceled and substituted with a new admission policy of recommending workers, farmers and soldiers to college. During the next ten years, the Down to the Countryside Movement, initiated by Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party Mao Zedong, forced both senior and junior secondary school graduates, the so-called "intellectual youths", to work as farmers in countryside villages. Against the backdrop of world revolution, millions of such young people joined the ranks of farmers, working and living alongside them.
In the early 1970s, Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong reinstated university operations. However, new students were selected through evaluation by a revolutionary committee rather than through formal academic scores. This practice continued until the death of Mao in September 1976. In late 1977, Deng Xiaoping, then under Hua Guofeng, the heir apparent of Mao, officially resumed traditional examinations based on academics, the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, which has continued to the present day. In addition to being an important part of university admissions since its reintroduction in 1977, the Gaokao has represented meritocracy in contemporary China and reflected strong cultural values derived from the old imperial examination system.
The first such examination after the Cultural Revolution took place in late 1977.
In 1992, the history of the Chinese Communist Party was added to the scope of the gaokao.
After 2022, some provinces have instituted reforms to remove extra points for ethnic minorities and students who participated in athletic and extra-scholar activities. The changes have been gradually rolled out to 5 different groups of provinces, and have been finally implemented completely as of 2025.
2006 Gaokao
In 2006, a record high of 9.5 million people applied for tertiary education entry in China. Of these, 8.8 million took the Gaokao and 27,600 were exempted as these students demonstrated exceptional merit in the quality of their work and understanding of the academic subjects. Out of the 9.5 million applicants, 5,460,500 were admitted to universities or colleges. Everyone else took other standardized entrance exams, such as those designed for adult education students.2017 Gaokao
In 2017, 9.40 million students took the Gaokao, 7 million of whom were admitted into colleges or universities. The percentage of first-class admission, considered to be good universities in China, varied from 9.48% to 30.5%, with the lowest admission rates in Henan province and Shanxi province, at less than 10%.Below are the changes of the exam scope from 2016 to 2017 :
Chinese
- All the exam contents are set into compulsory examination scope.
- Elective Course 4–1 is removed from the elective examination scope.
- No changes.
- Elective Course 3–5 is changed from the elective examination scope into the compulsory examination scope.
- Elective Course 2 is removed from the elective examination scope.
- Topic 3 is removed from the elective examination scope of Elective Course 1.
- No changes.
- Elective Course 2 is removed from the elective examination scope.
- Elective Course 5 is removed from the elective examination scope.
2018 Gaokao
2020–2022 COVID‑19 postponements
On 31 March 2020, China's Ministry of Education announced that the 2020 Gaokao would be postponed by one month, moving the national dates to 7–8 July because of the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China. Students took the rescheduled exams under epidemic prevention measures such as temperature checks, mask wearing, and staggered entry.Although the exam returned to its usual early‑June slot in 2021, Shanghai deferred its local sitting of the 2022 Gaokao to 7–9 July after a city‑wide outbreak—the first such delay since 2020. Year 2022 saw a record 11.93 million registrations nationwide, represents an increase of 1.15 million people compared to 2021, setting a new record high.
Acceptance rate for each year
Source:The number of higher education institutes in the People's Republic of China has risen annually since 1977. From 1999 to 2020, the number of institutes increased dramatically from 1,071 to 2,740, which significantly contributed to the rapid growth in the number of NCEE examinees and accepted students.
| Year | Number of examinees | Accepted students | Acceptance rate |
| 1977 | 5,700,000 | 270,000 | 5.19% |
| 1978 | 6,100,000 | 402,000 | 6.59% |
| 1979 | 4,680,000 | 280,000 | 5.98% |
| 1980 | 3,330,000 | 280,000 | 8.41% |
| 1981 | 2,590,000 | 280,000 | 10.81% |
| 1982 | 1,870,000 | 320,000 | 17.11% |
| 1983 | 1,670,000 | 390,000 | 23.35% |
| 1984 | 1,640,000 | 480,000 | 29.27% |
| 1985 | 1,760,000 | 620,000 | 35.23% |
| 1986 | 1,910,000 | 570,000 | 29.84% |
| 1987 | 2,280,000 | 620,000 | 27.19% |
| 1988 | 2,720,000 | 670,000 | 24.63% |
| 1989 | 2,660,000 | 600,000 | 22.56% |
| 1990 | 2,830,000 | 610,000 | 21.55% |
| 1991 | 2,960,000 | 620,000 | 20.95% |
| 1992 | 3,030,000 | 750,000 | 24.75% |
| 1993 | 2,860,000 | 980,000 | 34.27% |
| 1994 | 2,510,000 | 900,000 | 35.86% |
| 1995 | 2,530,000 | 930,000 | 36.76% |
| 1996 | 2,410,000 | 970,000 | 40.25% |
| 1997 | 2,780,000 | 1,000,000 | 35.97% |
| 1998 | 3,200,000 | 1,083,600 | 33.86% |
| 1999 | 2,880,000 | 1,596,800 | 55.44% |
| 2000 | 3,750,000 | 2,206,100 | 58.83% |
| 2001 | 4,540,000 | 2,682,800 | 59.09% |
| 2002 | 5,100,000 | 3,205,000 | 62.84% |
| 2003 | 6,130,000 | 3,821,700 | 62.34% |
| 2004 | 7,290,000 | 4,473,400 | 61.36% |
| 2005 | 8,770,000 | 5,044,600 | 57.52% |
| 2006 | 9,500,000 | 5,460,500 | 57.48% |
| 2007 | 10,100,000 | 5,659,200 | 56.03% |
| 2008 | 10,500,000 | 6,076,600 | 57.87% |
| 2009 | 10,200,000 | 6,394,900 | 62.70% |
| 2010 | 9,460,000 | 6,617,600 | 69.95% |
| 2011 | 9,330,000 | 6,815,000 | 73.04% |
| 2012 | 9,150,000 | 6,888,300 | 75.28% |
| 2013 | 9,120,000 | 6,998,300 | 76.74% |
| 2014 | 9,390,000 | 7,214,000 | 76.83% |
| 2015 | 9,420,000 | 7,378,500 | 78.33% |
| 2016 | 9,400,000 | 7,486,100 | 79.64% |
| 2017 | 9,400,000 | 7,614,900 | 81.01% |
| 2018 | 9,750,000 | 7,909,900 | 81.13% |
| 2019 | 10,310,000 | 9,149,000 | 88.74% |
| 2020 | 10,710,000 | 9,675,000 | 90.34% |
| 2021 | 10,780,000 | 10,013,200 | 92.89% |
| 2022 | 11,930,000 | 10,145,400 | 85.04% |
| 2023 | 12,910,000 | 10,970,000 | 84.97% |
| 2024 | 13,420,000 | – | – |
| 2025 | 13,350,000 | – | – |
| Province | Chinese | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
| Beijing | 北京 | 58,000 | 54,728 | 51,738 | 49,225 | 59,209 | 63,073 | 60,638 | 61,222 | 68,000 | 70,500 | 72,736 | 73,000 | 76,000 | 81,000 | 88,192 | 103,789 | 109,876 | 110,259 | 98,745 | 85,073 | 81,266 | 71,808 | 64,479 | 56,000 | – |
| Tianjin | 天津 | 68,000 | 58,000 | 56,000 | 56,300 | 56,000 | 55,074 | 57,015 | 60,000 | 61,990 | 60,000 | 63,000 | 64,000 | 64,600 | 71,000 | 76,500 | 88,500 | 88,500 | 83,600 | 73,836 | 67,000 | 59,000 | 57,797 | 52,312 | 37,028 | – |
| Hebei | 河北 | 862,000 | 753,200 | 634,000 | 624,800 | 559,600 | 486,400 | 436,200 | 423,100 | 404,800 | 418,200 | 449,800 | 459,300 | 485,000 | 503,000 | 559,000 | 574,800 | 561,800 | 557,600 | 483,000 | 389,535 | 337,000 | 302,000 | – | – | – |
| Shanxi | 山西 | 344,700 | 337,000 | 315,700 | 326,000 | 314,000 | 305,071 | 317,000 | 339,131 | 342,278 | 341,600 | 358,000 | 361,000 | 339,000 | 362,000 | 360,000 | 370,000 | 331,000 | 320,000 | 297,288 | 247,858 | 210,114 | 171,717 | – | – | – |
| Inner Mongolia | 内蒙古 | 211,672 | 185,000 | 184,700 | 197,901 | 199,000 | 195,000 | 198,697 | 201,131 | 189,500 | 188,000 | 193,267 | 189,500 | 205,600 | 219,000 | 246,000 | 270,000 | 239,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 186,743 | 166,457 | 137,129 | – | – | – |
| Liaoning | 辽宁 | 195,882 | 207,706 | 191,000 | 218,152 | 244,000 | 185,000 | 208,502 | 218,252 | 225,191 | 239,000 | 254,000 | 256,000 | 245,000 | 243,500 | 280,000 | 300,000 | 290,000 | 270,000 | 247,000 | 205,123 | 176,000 | 186,480 | 160,000 | – | – |
| Jilin | 吉林 | 141,000 | 150,000 | 152,412 | 150,000 | 162,787 | 150,239 | 142,900 | 148,500 | 137,681 | 160,200 | 159,000 | 162,000 | 165,000 | 169,000 | 197,000 | 208,000 | 201,000 | 172,000 | 160,000 | 124,796 | 118,866 | 109,224 | – | – | – |
| Heilongjiang | 黑龙江 | 191,000 | 182,900 | 165,000 | 183,000 | 204,000 | 190,424 | 188,000 | 197,000 | 198,000 | 204,000 | 208,000 | 210,000 | 208,000 | 195,000 | 230,000 | 228,000 | 224,000 | 219,200 | 201,130 | 173,100 | 159,800 | 150,400 | 120,000 | – | – |
| Shanghai | 上海 | 59,824 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 51,000 | 51,000 | 51,000 | 52,000 | 53,000 | 55,000 | 61,000 | 67,000 | 83,000 | 108,000 | 110,452 | 113,800 | 112,000 | 110,000 | 91,922 | 93,900 | 91,200 | – | – |
| Jiangsu | 江苏 | 445,000 | 406,000 | 359,000 | 348,900 | 339,000 | 331,500 | 330,100 | 360,400 | 392,900 | 425,700 | 451,000 | 475,000 | 500,000 | 527,000 | 546,000 | 508,000 | 530,000 | 495,000 | 480,000 | 405,000 | 341,410 | 289,400 | 290,731 | 249,420 | 210,000 |
| Zhejiang | 浙江 | 390,900 | 365,000 | 332,400 | 325,700 | 325,100 | 306,000 | 291,300 | 307,400 | 280,000 | 308,600 | 313,000 | 315,800 | 299,000 | 300,800 | 348,500 | 364,400 | 358,800 | 352,000 | 313,000 | 250,000 | 229,000 | 205,900 | 179,000 | – | – |
| Anhui | 安徽 | 647,000 | 601,000 | 542,500 | 523,800 | 513,000 | 499,000 | 498,600 | 509,900 | 546,000 | 527,000 | 511,000 | 506,000 | 540,000 | 562,000 | 572,000 | 610,000 | 564,000 | 463,500 | 417,000 | 346,885 | 292,106 | 242,530 | 201,300 | 185,677 | – |
| Fujian | 福建 | 232,000 | 218,000 | 201,000 | 202,600 | 207,800 | 200,927 | 188,200 | 175,000 | 189,300 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 250,000 | 267,000 | 292,000 | 305,000 | 312,000 | 309,300 | 250,000 | 256,800 | 220,000 | 204,588 | 167,264 | – | – | – |
| Jiangxi | 江西 | 628,000 | 574,800 | 493,000 | 462,000 | 421,300 | 380,000 | 364,900 | 360,600 | 354,641 | 325,000 | 274,300 | 269,000 | 288,600 | 312,000 | 350,000 | 384,493 | 384,292 | 350,000 | 316,667 | 278,298 | 205,389 | 165,951 | 150,885 | 124,737 | – |
| Shandong | 山东 | 980,000 | 867,000 | 795,000 | 782,000 | 756,000 | 760,000 | 720,000 | 710,000 | 696,198 | 658,106 | 589,701 | 648,671 | 692,309 | 778,405 | 826,761 | 943,522 | 917,033 | 943,522 | 862,339 | 668,316 | 624,773 | 532,034 | – | – | – |
| Henan | 河南 | 1,500,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,046,000 | 1,158,000 | 1,084,000 | 983,800 | 865,800 | 820,000 | 772,000 | 724,000 | 758,000 | 805,000 | 855,000 | 952,400 | 959,000 | 905,000 | 878,847 | 780,000 | 719,970 | 595,537 | 498,000 | 354,000 | 291,000 | – | – |
| Hubei | 湖北 | 501,091 | 464,646 | 405,000 | 394,800 | 384,000 | 374,302 | 362,000 | 361,478 | 368,425 | 402,700 | 438,000 | 457,000 | 484,700 | 492,000 | 519,500 | 525,000 | 503,300 | 533,000 | 460,500 | 372,000 | 330,000 | 288,000 | 228,842 | – | – |
| Hunan | 湖南 | 684,000 | 655,000 | 574,900 | 537,000 | 499,000 | 451,800 | 410,800 | 401,600 | 390,000 | 378,000 | 373,000 | 352,000 | 372,000 | 413,000 | 507,000 | 540,000 | 518,782 | 480,000 | 425,000 | 349,000 | 299,104 | 258,100 | 218,100 | – | – |
| Guangdong | 广东 | 900,000 | 857,000 | 783,000 | 788,000 | 768,000 | 758,000 | 730,000 | 733,000 | 754,000 | 756,000 | 727,000 | 692,000 | 655,000 | 615,000 | 644,000 | 614,000 | 553,826 | 517,400 | 451,400 | 389,400 | 335,000 | 260,000 | 241,026 | 185,521 | – |
| Guangxi | 广西 | 650,000 | 610,200 | 550,400 | 507,000 | 470,000 | 400,000 | 365,000 | 330,000 | 310,000 | 315,000 | 298,000 | 285,000 | 292,000 | 299,000 | 302,000 | 304,000 | 300,000 | 274,900 | 255,232 | 216,675 | 185,465 | 156,141 | 128,365 | – | – |
| Hainan | 海南 | 70,069 | 63,874 | 60,000 | 57,000 | 60,148 | 58,775 | 57,000 | 60,403 | 62,000 | 61,000 | 56,662 | 55,000 | 54,000 | 54,700 | 57,800 | 49,800 | 42,300 | 41,000 | 45,000 | 34,400 | – | 26,265 | 19,596 | – | – |
| Chongqing | 重庆 | 341,000 | 314,000 | 289,500 | 283,000 | 264,000 | 250,473 | 247,500 | 248,888 | 255,460 | 250,600 | 235,000 | 230,000 | 216,400 | 196,700 | 196,000 | 186,000 | 177,349 | 190,000 | 160,000 | 130,000 | 95,329 | 81,917 | 62,665 | – | – |
| Sichuan | 四川 | 800,000 | 770,000 | 700,000 | 670,000 | 654,200 | 620,000 | 582,800 | 571,400 | 575,700 | 571,700 | 540,000 | 538,000 | 514,000 | 511,500 | 500,000 | 517,600 | 498,800 | 453,300 | 450,000 | 339,000 | 258,798 | 227,500 | 193,351 | – | – |
| Guizhou | 贵州 | 491,000 | 478,000 | 491,700 | 470,602 | 458,700 | 441,731 | 411,897 | 373,873 | 330,591 | 292,700 | 247,800 | 248,000 | 243,100 | 234,000 | 240,000 | 240,000 | 225,700 | 209,180 | 168,502 | 131,982 | 109,122 | 76,776 | 68,416 | 65,784 | – |
| Yunnan | 云南 | 399,300 | 388,300 | 358,000 | 343,200 | 326,100 | 300,296 | 293,467 | 281,071 | 272,126 | 255,900 | 236,000 | 210,000 | 230,000 | 220,000 | 220,000 | 260,000 | 200,000 | 181,400 | 171,824 | 123,321 | 119,956 | 101,358 | – | 79,033 | – |
| Tibet | 西藏 | 33,000 | 32,000 | 36,000 | 32,973 | 27,580 | 25,343 | 28,500 | 23,976 | 22,590 | 19,625 | 18,949 | 19,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | 13,600 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 13,700 | 14,000 | 12,157 | 9,500 | 6,510 | – | – | – |
| Shaanxi | 陕西 | 336,798 | 323,058 | 312,919 | 322,344 | 325,911 | 319,000 | 319,196 | 328,000 | 344,000 | 353,000 | 366,498 | 375,300 | 383,900 | 378,500 | 405,000 | 414,000 | 411,700 | 373,200 | – | 295,941 | 244,707 | 189,250 | 149,200 | – | – |
| Gansu | 甘肃 | 247,848 | 243,248 | 245,917 | 263,100 | 266,807 | 273,639 | 284,758 | 296,920 | 303,862 | 297,514 | 283,504 | 295,981 | 297,457 | 290,952 | 286,532 | 290,000 | 272,000 | 249,000 | 207,000 | 163,000 | 136,000 | 115,000 | 87,101 | – | – |
| Qinghai | 青海 | 51,100 | 48,400 | 58,000 | 56,700 | 55,114 | 42,000 | 46,346 | 44,600 | 42,682 | 39,700 | 40,600 | 38,000 | 40,600 | 38,000 | 39,000 | 41,000 | 38,000 | 40,000 | 33,000 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ningxia | 宁夏 | 71,612 | 65,694 | 69,119 | 60,300 | 71,702 | 69,475 | 69,233 | 69,119 | 67,708 | 64,000 | 58,700 | 60,200 | 60,100 | 57,000 | 58,000 | 58,000 | 56,500 | 50,000 | – | – | 41,244 | 30,388 | 30,166 | – | – |
| Xinjiang | 新疆 | 220,000 | 218,500 | 236,100 | 229,300 | 220,900 | 207,400 | 183,700 | 166,100 | 160,500 | 162,600 | 158,700 | 154,700 | 147,700 | 164,200 | 164,500 | 170,000 | 154,096 | 128,100 | 130,000 | 100,000 | 91,000 | 79,300 | 67,000 | 66,810 | – |