Data Reports · data note
Li'an cluster data note: 24 approvals, approved vs enrolled, expiries
A data note on the Li'an cluster's 24 MOE approvals, the approved-versus-enrolled gap, and key expiry or admission-year risks for 2026.
- Published
- 2026-09-21
The Li’an cluster holds 24 MOE-approved Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions and projects as of the June 2026 presser, across 11 Chinese and 19 foreign universities, with 60+ majors on offer and a 2026 undergraduate plan of 2,563 places. Three things matter for readers tracking this cluster: several approved annual scales sit well above what actually enrolled in 2026, and a handful of approvals or admission-year windows close after 2026.
The 24 approvals
The June 2026 presser reports 24 approved institutions/projects. Across the 11 Chinese partner universities, the available approval records list 23 individual MOE license numbers (one approved item is not itemized in the source material). The schools and their recorded approvals:
| Chinese university | Foreign partner(s) | Recorded MOE approval(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Univ. of Posts and Telecom. (BUPT) | Queen Mary Univ. of London | Institution MOE46UKA02DNR20222214N (valid to 2036-12-31) |
| Communication Univ. of China (CUC) | Coventry; Abertay; Michigan State | Coventry College MOE46UKA02DNR20222213N; Abertay digital media MOE46UK2A20222322N; MSU new-media master MOE46US1A20232352N |
| Univ. of Electronic Sci. and Tech. (UESTC) | Univ. of Glasgow | Institution MOE46UKA02DNR20222215N (valid to 2035-12-31) |
| Beijing Sport Univ. (BSU) | Univ. of Alberta | Institution MOE46CAA02DNR20222303N (valid to 2032-12-31) |
| Minzu Univ. of China (MUC) | Middlesex; City Univ. of Macau | Middlesex College MOE46UKA02DNR20232372N; Macau City data science MOE46MO2A20222321N |
| Beijing Language and Culture Univ. (BLCU) | ESC Clermont; Northeastern State Univ. | Clermont College MOE46FRA02DNR20252488N; NSU health college MOE46USA02DNR20252507N |
| Tianjin Univ. (TJU) | Univ. of Reading | Henley College MOE46UKA02DNR20252588N (valid to 2035-06-30) |
| China Univ. of Political Sci. and Law (CUPL) | Univ. of Ottawa | English MOE46CA2A20252651N; Int’l Business MOE46CA2A20262796N; Litigation master MOE46CA1A20252652N |
| China Univ. of Geosciences (Beijing) (CUGB) | Aberdeen; Birmingham City | Digital economy MOE46UK2A20252653N; Big data MOE46UK2A20252654N; Resource exploration MOE46UK2A20262795N; Gem materials MOE46UK2A20262797N; Product design MOE46UK2A20262798N |
| Northeast Forestry Univ. (NEFU) | UTS; Univ. of Auckland | Xilin College MOE46AUA02DNR20262684N; Hainan Aolin College MOE46NZA02DNR20262685N |
| Xi’an Jiaotong Univ. (XJTU) | UBC; Lancaster | Carbon-neutral MOE46CA2A20262760N; English MOE46UK2A20262761N |
Institution license expiry dates where published: BUPT to 2036-12-31; UESTC to 2035-12-31; BSU to 2032-12-31; TJU Henley to 2035-06-30; MUC Middlesex College 2023–2029; BLCU Clermont 2025–2030 and NSU health college 2026–2035; CUPL undergrad projects 2026–2031 and litigation master 2026–2032; CUGB five projects 2026–2031; NEFU Xilin and Aolin licenses issued 2026 with no expiry stated; XJTU two projects registered for 2026 only.
Approved scale vs 2026 enrollment
MOE approval sets a maximum annual intake; the 2026 plan often came in lower, and some approved majors did not run at all.
| Unit | MOE approved annual scale | 2026 enrolled / planned |
|---|---|---|
| UESTC Glasgow Hainan | 600/year from 2026-05 (was 300) | 273 undergrad places |
| TJU Henley (Reading) | 330/year undergrad (IMIS, Engineering Mgmt, Supply Chain, 110 each) | 90 (Supply Chain Management only) |
| NEFU Xilin (UTS) | 200/year (Economic Statistics 80 + Computer Sci 120) | 100 (Computer Sci only) |
| NEFU Hainan Aolin (Auckland) | 370/year (Biotech 120, Chemistry 100, AI 150) | none recorded in 2026 |
| CUGB (Aberdeen / Birmingham City) | Resource Exploration, Gem Materials, Product Design each 120/period | none recorded in 2026; only Digital Economy and Big Data ran |
Two further plan-versus-approval gaps at the major level: CUPL English and International Business each enrolled 58 against an approved 60 per period; XJTU’s Lancaster English enrolled 89 against an approved 100.
BUPT (300/year, three majors ×100), BSU (200/year), MUC Middlesex undergrad (240 across four majors), BLCU Clermont undergrad (240) and NSU hearing-rehabilitation undergrad (160) all matched their approved scales in 2026.
Expiry and admission-year risks
The urgent risks are admission-year windows, not the institution licenses. MOE registers an “admission start–end year” for each project; several close after 2026 and need re-approval to continue.
| Item | Approved admission window | Risk for 2027+ |
|---|---|---|
| CUC–MSU new-media foreign master | 2023–2025 | Foreign-master batch already outside approved window for 2026 |
| MUC–Macau City data science (undergrad) | 2023–2026 | Continuation after 2026 needs re-approval |
| XJTU–UBC carbon-neutral (undergrad) | “2026” only | Must be re-approved to admit 2027 |
| XJTU–Lancaster English (undergrad) | “2026” only | Must be re-approved to admit 2027 |
MUC–Macau City data science is approved for 2023–2026, so any 2027 intake depends on re-approval. CUC–MSU new-media foreign master was approved only for 2023–2025, so its foreign-master batch is already outside the approved window.
Sources
- Hainan Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone press release (2026-06): https://hnxwfbt.hinews.cn/xinwen/show-2960.html
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (UESTC Glasgow Hainan): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/3079
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (TJU Henley): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/4004
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (MUC–Macau City data science): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/3235
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (XJTU–UBC carbon-neutral): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/4025
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (XJTU–Lancaster English): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/4026
- MOE Sino-foreign cooperation approval (CUC–MSU new-media master): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/3305