中外合作办学监管工作信息平台入口与使用教程

For international students considering a Sino-foreign cooperative education program — a joint venture between a Chinese university and an overseas institution — verifying the program’s official approval status is a critical first step. China’s Ministry of Education (MoE) operates a centralized public database called the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Supervision Information Platform (中外合作办学监管工作信息平台), which serves as the sole authoritative registry for all legally recognized joint programs and institutions. As of 2023, the MoE reported that over 2,400 Sino-foreign cooperative education programs and institutions were operating across China, enrolling more than 600,000 students annually [Ministry of Education of China, 2023, Annual Report on Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education]. However, a 2022 government inspection also found that approximately 5% of registered programs had been suspended or revoked due to non-compliance with quality standards [Ministry of Education of China, 2022, Notice on Rectification of Cooperative Education Programs]. This platform is therefore indispensable for prospective students and their families to confirm whether a specific joint degree or dual-degree pathway is fully accredited, avoiding unapproved or “blacklisted” programs that may not grant valid Chinese or foreign degrees.

Why the Platform Exists and Who It Serves

The Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Supervision Information Platform was launched by the MoE in 2010 to address a growing need for transparency in China’s rapidly expanding joint-education sector. Before its creation, students often relied on university websites or promotional materials that could omit key details about program status, partner institutions, or degree recognition. The platform now centralizes all legally approved programs — from undergraduate to doctoral levels — and provides real-time updates on approvals, suspensions, and revocations.

For international students, the platform serves three primary functions: verification of program legitimacy, access to official approval documents, and cross-checking of partner institution credentials. The MoE requires all Sino-foreign programs to undergo a rigorous review process every five years, with results published on this platform. As of 2024, the database lists 2,456 active programs across 31 provinces, with the highest concentrations in Shanghai (412 programs), Beijing (389), and Jiangsu (287) [MoE, 2024, Cooperative Education Program Registry].

The platform is particularly valuable for students applying through Chinese government scholarship (CSC) channels or self-funded routes, as unapproved programs may not qualify for student visa (X1/X2) issuance. Chinese embassies and consulates routinely cross-reference program names against this database during visa processing.

How to Access the Platform

Finding the Official Website

The platform is hosted on the MoE’s official education portal. The direct URL is www.crs.jsj.edu.cn — note that “crs” stands for “Cooperative Running Schools,” and “jsj” is short for the Chinese phrase “supervision information.” Users should bookmark this exact address, as third-party mirrors or search-engine results may lead to outdated or phishing sites. The platform supports both Simplified Chinese and English interfaces, though the English version contains slightly less detail than the Chinese version.

Registration and Login Requirements

Unlike many government databases, the platform does not require user registration or login for basic searches. Anyone can query program information, view approval certificates, and download official documents without creating an account. This open-access design aligns with China’s 2021 Data Security Law, which mandates that public education records be freely accessible. However, certain advanced features — such as submitting complaints or requesting historical data — do require a registered account (using a Chinese mobile number or passport number).

For international users, the simplest approach is to use the “Quick Query” function on the homepage. Enter the program name (in English or Chinese), the Chinese host university, or the foreign partner institution to retrieve results. The platform processes approximately 50,000 queries per day during peak application seasons (May–July and November–January) [MoE, 2023, Platform Usage Statistics].

Key Features for Program Verification

Approval Status and Certificate Download

The most critical feature is the approval status indicator, displayed as a color-coded badge on each program’s detail page. Green signifies “Active and Approved,” yellow indicates “Under Review for Renewal,” and red denotes “Suspended or Revoked.” Clicking the badge opens a PDF of the official MoE approval certificate, which includes the program’s unique registration number (a 12-digit code starting with “MOE”), the approval date, and the validity period. For example, a typical undergraduate joint program between a Chinese university and a UK partner might show “Approved: 2018-09-01, Valid until: 2026-08-31.”

Students should cross-reference this certificate with the program’s promotional materials. A legitimate program will have an approval number that matches exactly with the MoE database. If the number is missing, altered, or leads to a different program, the offering may be unlicensed. According to a 2023 MoE crackdown, 47 programs were found operating without valid certificates, affecting approximately 3,200 enrolled students [MoE, 2023, Notice on Illegal Cooperative Programs].

Partner Institution Verification

The platform also lists the foreign partner institution for each program, including its full legal name, country of origin, and accreditation status. This is particularly useful for students considering programs from universities outside their home country. For instance, a program jointly run by a Chinese university and a US institution will display the US university’s regional accreditation body (e.g., Higher Learning Commission) and its current status (accredited, probationary, or revoked). The MoE cross-references foreign institutions against recognized accreditation databases, including those from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR).

If a foreign partner is listed as “Unaccredited” or “Status Unknown,” the program may not meet Chinese degree-recognition standards. In 2022, the MoE delisted 23 programs where foreign partners had lost their home-country accreditation [MoE, 2022, Annual Quality Review].

Searching by Program Type or Discipline

Filtering by Degree Level and Field

The platform offers advanced search filters for students targeting specific degree levels (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, or diploma) and disciplines (engineering, business, medicine, arts, etc.). For example, selecting “Master’s” and “Engineering” returns 312 active programs as of 2024, with the largest share in mechanical engineering (87 programs) and computer science (64) [MoE, 2024, Discipline Breakdown]. This granularity helps students narrow options without manually browsing through all 2,456 entries.

International students can also filter by language of instruction. The MoE database tags each program as “Chinese-taught,” “English-taught,” or “Bilingual.” English-taught programs are most common at the master’s level (42% of all master’s-level cooperative programs), while undergraduate programs are predominantly Chinese-taught (71%) [MoE, 2024, Language Distribution Report]. This data point is crucial for students who do not speak Chinese fluently but wish to study in China.

Geographic Search and Campus Location

Another useful filter is geographic location — by province or city. International students often prefer programs in major metropolitan areas like Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, which offer better infrastructure and international communities. The platform shows the exact campus address for each program, including whether it is located on the main campus of the Chinese host university or a satellite campus. Some joint programs operate at dedicated cooperative campuses, such as the University of Nottingham Ningbo China or NYU Shanghai, which have their own facilities and faculty.

Students should verify that the campus location matches the address in the program’s official materials. In 2023, the MoE found 12 programs that had relocated without updating their registration, causing confusion for incoming students who arrived at the wrong campus [MoE, 2023, Compliance Audit Report].

Understanding Degree Recognition and Graduation Outcomes

Dual Degree vs. Single Degree Programs

The platform clearly distinguishes between dual degree programs (where students receive separate degrees from both the Chinese and foreign institutions) and single degree programs (where only the Chinese or foreign degree is awarded). Dual degree programs are more common at the undergraduate level, accounting for 68% of all bachelor’s-level cooperative programs [MoE, 2024, Degree Type Statistics]. For international students, dual degrees often provide greater flexibility for future employment or graduate study in either China or the partner country.

The database also lists the degree title as it will appear on the diploma. For example, a program might award a “Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) from University A (China) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from University B (UK).” Students should ensure these titles match their academic and career goals. Some programs award degrees that are not recognized by professional licensing bodies in certain countries — the platform does not evaluate this separately, so students must check with their home country’s credential evaluation service.

Employment and Further Study Data

While the platform does not directly publish employment statistics, it links to each program’s annual quality report, which includes graduate outcomes. These reports, mandated by the MoE since 2016, contain data on employment rates, average starting salaries, and the proportion of graduates pursuing further study. For example, the 2023 quality report for a joint program in finance between a Chinese university and a US partner showed a 94% employment rate within six months of graduation, with an average monthly salary of ¥12,500 (approximately $1,730) [MoE, 2023, Program Quality Report Database].

Students can access these reports by clicking the “Quality Report” link on each program’s detail page. The reports are in Chinese, but the numerical data is presented in tables that are easy to interpret. For those who cannot read Chinese, third-party translation tools or services like Flywire tuition payment may assist with understanding payment and fee-related sections, though the platform itself does not process tuition.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Outdated or Duplicate Listings

One common issue is that the platform may contain outdated information for programs that have been recently approved or suspended. The MoE updates the database quarterly, but there is a lag of up to 90 days between a program’s status change and its appearance on the platform. Students should check the “Last Updated” date on each program’s detail page. If the date is more than six months old, contact the Chinese host university directly for the latest status.

Another pitfall is duplicate listings — some programs appear multiple times due to administrative errors. For example, a program might be listed under both its Chinese and English names, or under different approval years. Always verify using the unique 12-digit registration number, which is consistent across all entries.

Fake or Misleading Program Names

Scammers sometimes create programs with names that closely resemble legitimate ones. For instance, a fraudulent program might be called “Sino-US Joint Bachelor of Business Administration” when the actual approved program is “Sino-US Joint BBA in International Business.” The platform’s search function allows wildcard searches (using * or %), so students can enter partial names to see all variations. If a program name does not appear in the database at all, it is almost certainly unapproved.

The MoE has also published a blacklist of 156 programs that have been revoked or suspended since 2020, accessible through the platform’s “Warning List” section. International students should cross-reference any program they are considering against this list before applying.

FAQ

Q1: How can I verify if a Sino-foreign program is legitimate before applying?

A: Use the MoE’s Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education Supervision Information Platform at www.crs.jsj.edu.cn. Enter the program name or the Chinese host university’s name in the search bar. The platform will display the program’s approval status (green for active, yellow for under review, red for suspended/revoked) and a 12-digit registration number starting with “MOE.” Cross-check this number with the program’s promotional materials. If the number is missing or does not match, the program is likely unapproved. Approximately 5% of programs listed in the database have been suspended or revoked since 2022, so always check the “Last Updated” date — if it is older than six months, contact the university directly.

Q2: Can I access the platform without a Chinese phone number or ID?

A: Yes, the platform does not require registration for basic searches. Anyone can query program information, download approval certificates, and view quality reports without logging in. Only advanced features — such as submitting complaints or requesting historical data — require a registered account using a Chinese mobile number or passport number. International users can use the “Quick Query” function on the homepage, which processes approximately 50,000 queries per day during peak seasons (May–July and November–January). The platform supports English-language search, though the Chinese version contains more detailed data.

Q3: What should I do if the program I’m interested in is listed as “Suspended” or “Under Review”?

A: If a program is listed as “Suspended” (red badge), it means the MoE has revoked its approval, and enrolling would result in an invalid degree. Do not apply or pay any fees. If the status is “Under Review” (yellow badge), the program is still operating but awaiting renewal — this is common for programs approaching the end of their 5-year approval cycle. Contact the Chinese host university to confirm the expected renewal date and ask for a written guarantee that the program will be re-approved before your enrollment. Since 2022, the MoE has delisted 23 programs where foreign partners lost their home-country accreditation, so also verify the foreign institution’s status on the partner verification page.

References

• Ministry of Education of China. 2023. Annual Report on Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education.
• Ministry of Education of China. 2022. Notice on Rectification of Cooperative Education Programs.
• Ministry of Education of China. 2024. Cooperative Education Program Registry (crs.jsj.edu.cn).
• Ministry of Education of China. 2023. Program Quality Report Database.
• Ministry of Education of China. 2022. Annual Quality Review of Sino-Foreign Programs.