Best Universities in China by Major 2026: Official Undergraduate Rankings and World Ranks
October 1, 2026 · Tim CSCA Gateway
Overall university rankings can mislead: the number one university overall is not always the best for the major you want. This article uses two sources: China's 2026 undergraduate major rankings (软科中国大学专业排名) for 39 majors, and EduRank 2026 for their position worldwide.
Universities in Hong Kong and Macau are not included, because the CSCA test is used for undergraduate admission to mainland Chinese universities.
China's 2026 Undergraduate Major Rankings (ShanghaiRanking)
ShanghaiRanking (软科) published its 2026 China University Undergraduate Major Ranking on 15 June 2026, covering 838 undergraduate majors and assessing student quality, faculty, resources and achievements of each program. A+ goes to the top 2% of each major (or at least the top 2 universities), so an A+ university is among the very best in China for that major.
Each box below lists every A+ university for that major, in rank order. For the full A+, A, B+ and B lists of all 838 majors, with university logos and a city filter, open China Undergraduate Major Rankings 2026.
Watch the exact major name: one field can have several official majors in China. Mechanical engineering, for example, is both 机械工程 (A+: Tsinghua and Shanghai Jiao Tong) and 机械设计制造及其自动化 (the version most universities offer). If your target university is missing, check the exact major name it uses.
Computing & Data
- Computer Science (计算机科学与技术)
- Tsinghua · Zhejiang · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Beihang · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Peking · Huazhong UST · Nanjing · USTC · Beijing Inst. of Technology · Xidian · Northwestern Polytechnical · Southeast · Tongji · UESTC · Xi'an Jiaotong · South China Univ. of Technology · Hunan · Renmin (19 A+)
- Data Science & Big Data (数据科学与大数据技术)
- Harbin Inst. of Technology · USTC · Fudan · East China Normal · Renmin · Peking · Northwestern Polytechnical · Tongji · Beijing Inst. of Technology · BUPT · UESTC · Huazhong UST · Central South · Xidian · Shandong (15 A+)
- Artificial Intelligence (人工智能)
- Tsinghua · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Xidian · Southeast · Zhejiang · USTC · Huazhong UST · Nanjing · UESTC · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Beihang · Northwestern Polytechnical (12 A+)
- Software Engineering (软件工程)
- Tsinghua · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Northwestern Polytechnical · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Beihang · UESTC · Huazhong UST · Nanjing · Peking · East China Normal · Zhejiang · Dalian Univ. of Technology · Beijing Inst. of Technology (13 A+)
- Electronic Information Engineering (电子信息工程)
- Xidian · Beijing Inst. of Technology · Beihang · UESTC · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Zhejiang · USTC · Tsinghua · Huazhong UST · BUPT · Dalian Univ. of Technology · Chongqing · Hangzhou Dianzi (13 A+)
- Internet of Things (物联网工程)
- UESTC · Xi'an Jiaotong · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Northwestern Polytechnical · Nanjing Univ. of Aeronautics & Astronautics · BUPT · Jilin · Beijing Jiaotong · Tianjin · Northeastern (China) (10 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Computer Science · Data Science & Big Data · Artificial Intelligence · Software Engineering · Electronic Information Engineering · Internet of Things
Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering (机械工程)
- Tsinghua · Shanghai Jiao Tong (2 A+)
- Mechanical Design, Manufacturing & Automation (机械设计制造及其自动化)
- Harbin Inst. of Technology · Huazhong UST · Dalian Univ. of Technology · Tianjin · Northwestern Polytechnical · Chongqing · Hunan · Southwest Jiaotong · Yanshan · Tongji (10 A+)
- Civil Engineering (土木工程)
- Tongji · Chongqing · Southeast · Tsinghua · Zhejiang · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Hunan · Dalian Univ. of Technology · Southwest Jiaotong · Hohai (10 A+)
- Electrical Engineering (电气工程及其自动化)
- Xi'an Jiaotong · Tsinghua · Huazhong UST · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Zhejiang · North China Electric Power · Chongqing · Tianjin · Southwest Jiaotong · Southeast · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Hunan (12 A+)
- Communication Engineering (通信工程)
- Xidian · BUPT · Harbin Inst. of Technology · UESTC · Beijing Inst. of Technology · Nanjing Univ. of Posts & Telecom · Beihang · Harbin Engineering · Huazhong UST · Northwestern Polytechnical · Beijing Jiaotong (11 A+)
- Chemical Engineering (化学工程与工艺)
- Tianjin · Zhejiang · Dalian Univ. of Technology · East China Univ. of Science & Tech. · Beijing Univ. of Chemical Tech. · Nanjing Tech · Sichuan (7 A+)
- Environmental Engineering (环境工程)
- Tsinghua · Tongji · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Nanjing · Zhejiang · Peking · Tianjin (7 A+)
- Materials Science & Engineering (材料科学与工程)
- Shanghai Jiao Tong · Harbin Inst. of Technology · Tsinghua · Beihang · Northwestern Polytechnical (5 A+)
- Robotics Engineering (机器人工程)
- Harbin Inst. of Technology · Beihang · Southeast · Shandong · Zhejiang · Northwestern Polytechnical · Beijing Inst. of Technology (7 A+)
- Architecture (建筑学)
- Southeast · Tsinghua · Tongji · Harbin Inst. of Technology · South China Univ. of Technology · Tianjin (6 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Mechanical Engineering · Mechanical Design, Manufacturing & Automation · Civil Engineering · Electrical Engineering · Communication Engineering · Chemical Engineering · Environmental Engineering · Materials Science & Engineering · Robotics Engineering · Architecture
Health
- Clinical Medicine (临床医学)
- Peking Union Medical College · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Fudan · Peking (4 A+)
- Dentistry (口腔医学)
- Sichuan · Shanghai Jiao Tong (2 A+)
- Pharmacy (药学)
- China Pharmaceutical · Peking · Fudan · Zhejiang · Sichuan (5 A+)
- Nursing (护理学)
- Peking · Sichuan · Central South · Peking Union Medical College · Sun Yat-sen · Fudan (6 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Clinical Medicine · Dentistry · Pharmacy · Nursing
Business & Economics
- Business Administration (工商管理)
- Zhejiang · Sun Yat-sen · Tsinghua · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · Renmin · Nankai · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Xiamen · Nanjing · Shandong · Peking (11 A+)
- International Economics & Trade (国际经济与贸易)
- UIBE · Renmin · Peking · Nankai · Fudan · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · Central Univ. of Finance & Economics · Xiamen · Zhejiang · Wuhan · Southwestern Univ. of Finance & Economics · Hunan · Nanjing · Beijing Normal · Shandong (15 A+)
- Finance (金融学)
- Central Univ. of Finance & Economics · Renmin · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · Southwestern Univ. of Finance & Economics · Nankai · Xiamen · UIBE · Peking (8 A+)
- Accounting (会计学)
- Renmin · Xiamen · Xi'an Jiaotong · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · Sun Yat-sen · UIBE · Peking · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Zhongnan Univ. of Economics & Law · Zhejiang · Central Univ. of Finance & Economics · Nankai · Nanjing (13 A+)
- Financial Management (财务管理)
- Renmin · Xiamen · Nankai · Nanjing · Southwestern Univ. of Finance & Economics · Chongqing · Zhejiang Gongshang · UIBE · Fudan · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · Sichuan · Central Univ. of Finance & Economics · Dongbei Univ. of Finance & Economics · Wuhan (14 A+)
- Marketing (市场营销)
- Renmin · Peking · Chongqing · Wuhan · Shanghai Univ. of Finance & Economics · UIBE · Nanjing · Fudan · Zhejiang Gongshang · Central Univ. of Finance & Economics · Hunan · Sichuan · Southwestern Univ. of Finance & Economics (13 A+)
- Economics (经济学)
- Renmin · Peking · Fudan · Tsinghua · Nankai · Xiamen · Nanjing (7 A+)
- Tourism Management (旅游管理)
- Sun Yat-sen · Nankai · Yunnan · Xiamen · South China Univ. of Technology · Fudan · Jinan (Guangzhou) · Sichuan · Beijing International Studies (9 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Business Administration · International Economics & Trade · Finance · Accounting · Financial Management · Marketing · Economics · Tourism Management
Law, Social Sciences & Languages
- Law (法学)
- China Univ. of Political Science & Law · Renmin · Wuhan · Peking · East China Univ. of Political Science & Law · Southwest Univ. of Political Science & Law · Tsinghua · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Jilin · Zhongnan Univ. of Economics & Law · Xiamen · Zhejiang (12 A+)
- International Politics (国际政治)
- Peking · Fudan (2 A+)
- Journalism (新闻学)
- Fudan · Peking · Renmin · Nanjing · Communication Univ. of China · Jinan (Guangzhou) · Wuhan (7 A+)
- Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (汉语国际教育)
- Beijing Language & Culture · East China Normal · Sichuan · Shandong · Wuhan · Nanjing · Nankai (7 A+)
- Chinese Language & Literature (汉语言文学)
- Peking · Shaanxi Normal · Beijing Normal · Fudan · Nanjing · Shandong · Sichuan · Zhejiang · East China Normal · Central China Normal · Tsinghua · Sun Yat-sen · Renmin (13 A+)
- English (英语)
- Nanjing · Beijing Foreign Studies · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Shanghai International Studies · Fudan · Peking · Zhejiang · Shandong · Hunan Normal · Tsinghua · East China Normal · Beijing Normal · Xi'an Jiaotong · Guangdong Univ. of Foreign Studies · Nankai · Beihang · Central China Normal · Tongji · Xiamen (19 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Law · International Politics · Journalism · Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages · Chinese Language & Literature · English
Sciences & Agriculture
- Mathematics (数学与应用数学)
- Peking · Tsinghua · Fudan · Xi'an Jiaotong · Zhejiang · USTC · Shandong · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Sichuan · Nankai · Southeast (11 A+)
- Physics (物理学)
- Peking · Fudan · USTC · Tsinghua · Nanjing (5 A+)
- Chemistry (化学)
- Peking · USTC · Nankai · Tsinghua · Nanjing · Xiamen (6 A+)
- Biological Sciences (生物科学)
- Peking · Tsinghua · Fudan · Shanghai Jiao Tong · Zhejiang (5 A+)
- Agronomy (农学)
- China Agricultural · Nanjing Agricultural (2 A+)
Full lists including A, A- and B+ universities (official ShanghaiRanking site, in Chinese): Mathematics · Physics · Chemistry · Biological Sciences · Agronomy
The Majors Offered by the Most Chinese Universities
In the same ranking, the majors offered by the most universities are: 1. Computer Science, 2. English, 3. Environmental/Interior Design, 4. Visual Communication Design, 5. Data Science & Big Data, 6. Financial Management, 7. International Economics & Trade, 8. Electronic Information Engineering, 9. Accounting, 10. Marketing. This shows availability, not the number of international students, but more universities offering a major means more choice.
World Level: EduRank 2026
EduRank ranks universities by research performance: the number of academic publications in each field and the citations they receive, adjusted for publication year. So these rankings measure research strength, not teaching quality, facilities or job prospects. Fields that publish heavily in international journals (engineering and sciences) tend to reach higher world ranks than social sciences. Data taken from edurank.org on 1 October 2026; it may change.
How to read the boxes below: each subject lists the top 3 mainland Chinese universities, in order. The number after each name is its world rank in that subject. Example: "Tsinghua #1" = Tsinghua is world number 1.
World level: Engineering
- Engineering (overall)
- Tsinghua #5 · Zhejiang #16 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #22
- Electrical Engineering
- Tsinghua #2 · Zhejiang #11 · Huazhong UST #14
- Mechanical Engineering
- Tsinghua #3 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #10 · Harbin Inst. of Technology #16
- Civil Engineering
- Tongji #3 · Tsinghua #4 · Harbin Inst. of Technology #14
- Chemical Engineering
- Tsinghua #1 · Zhejiang #2 · USTC #4
- Environmental Engineering
- Tsinghua #1 · Harbin Inst. of Technology #2 · Tongji #3
- Materials Science
- Tsinghua #2 · Zhejiang #10 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #18
- Aerospace Engineering
- Tsinghua #8 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #22 · Beihang #24
- Robotics
- Harbin Inst. of Technology #8 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #13 · Tsinghua #16
- Telecommunications
- Tsinghua #4 · UESTC #9 · BUPT #15
- Petroleum Engineering
- China Univ. of Petroleum (Beijing) #1 · Southwest Petroleum #3 · China Univ. of Mining & Tech. #9
- Marine Engineering
- Harbin Engineering #2 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #3 · Dalian Maritime #7
- Agricultural Engineering
- China Agricultural #1 · Northwest A&F #11 · Jiangsu #16
World level: Computing & Data
- Computer Science
- Tsinghua #21 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #48 · Zhejiang #58
- Artificial Intelligence
- Tsinghua #6 · Harbin Inst. of Technology #18 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #27
- Software Engineering
- Tsinghua #12 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #50 · Beihang #52
- Data Science
- Tsinghua #44 · Peking #85 · Zhejiang #104
World level: Health
- Medicine
- Peking Union Medical College #63 · Sun Yat-sen #66 · Peking #70
- Pharmacy
- Nankai #13 · Peking #15 · Zhejiang #19
- Dentistry
- Sichuan #19 · Peking #22 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #49
- Nursing
- Peking #158 · Huazhong UST #169 · Sichuan #193
World level: Business, Economics & Social Sciences
- Business
- Tsinghua #31 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #63 · Harbin Inst. of Technology #65
- Economics
- Tsinghua #77 · Peking #89 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #143
- Finance
- Tsinghua #59 · Peking #72 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #92
- Accounting
- Tsinghua #127 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #148 · Peking #167
- Law
- Tsinghua #77 · Peking #78 · Zhejiang #151
- Political Science & IR
- Tsinghua #94 · Peking #95 · Zhejiang #190
- Journalism
- Tsinghua #46 · Peking #88 · Zhejiang #101
- Linguistics
- Tsinghua #35 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #70 · Peking #73
- Tourism & Hospitality
- Sun Yat-sen #12 · Sichuan #58 · Zhejiang #74
World level: Sciences & Agriculture
- Mathematics
- Tsinghua #30 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #43 · Peking #63
- Physics
- Tsinghua #8 · Zhejiang #22 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #33
- Chemistry
- Zhejiang #25 · Tsinghua #26 · Shanghai Jiao Tong #36
- Biology
- Zhejiang #50 · Peking #51 · Sun Yat-sen #60
- Oceanography
- Tsinghua #11 · Zhejiang #34 · Ocean Univ. of China #44
- Agriculture
- China Agricultural #5 · Nanjing Agricultural #12 · Zhejiang #16
What Stands Out
- Tsinghua leads most fields, especially engineering: world number 1 in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, and number 2 in Electrical Engineering. Full profile: Tsinghua University Profile.
- Specialists beat the big names: Tongji University is China's best for Civil Engineering (world number 3), Harbin Institute of Technology for Robotics (world number 8), and China University of Petroleum (Beijing) is world number 1 in Petroleum Engineering.
- World-class agriculture and marine programs: China Agricultural University is world number 1 in Agricultural Engineering, and Harbin Engineering University world number 2 in Marine Engineering.
- Health is not just Tsinghua and PKU: Peking Union Medical College leads China in Medicine, Nankai University in Pharmacy (world number 13), and Sichuan University in Dentistry (world number 19).
- Tourism: Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou is world number 12, far ahead of other Chinese universities.
CSCA Subjects You Will Usually Need
Requirements differ by university and program, so always check the international admissions page of your target university. The general pattern:
- Engineering, computing and sciences: Mathematics + Physics and/or Chemistry, plus Professional Chinese (Science track, 理科中文) for Chinese-taught programs.
- Medicine and pharmacy: usually Mathematics + Chemistry (often Physics too), plus Professional Chinese (Science track).
- Business, economics, law, IR, journalism: Mathematics + Professional Chinese (Humanities track, 文科中文).
- Chinese Government Scholarship applicants at undergraduate level must take Mathematics + Professional Chinese. Details: CSCA and the CSC Scholarship.
Once you know your target university, the next step is preparing the CSCA subjects it asks for. CSCA Gateway offers exam-style practice for Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry with explanations in Chinese, Pinyin and English.
Sources: 2026 China University Undergraduate Major Ranking by ShanghaiRanking (shanghairanking.cn/rankings/bcmr/2026, released 15 June 2026) and EduRank 2026 (edurank.org), both accessed 1 October 2026. The last published official government discipline evaluation (全国高校学科评估) is the 4th round from 2017; 5th-round results were not made public.