On 24 September 2026, the Ministry of Education (教育部) published the rule 《关于印发《2027年全国硕士研究生招生工作管理规定》的通知》 to govern the 2027 national master's degree admissions cycle. source The notice distributes the accompanying 《2027年全国硕士研究生招生工作管理规定》 to provincial admissions committees, education departments, education examination agencies, and postgraduate admissions units for implementation. source The rule establishes provisions covering admissions planning, academic-versus-professional-degree classification, examination and second-round examination arrangements, and selection principles. source
Who is affected
The central standard-setting and supervision measure directly affects Chinese postgraduate admissions units—higher education institutions and research institutes—and the provincial education authorities, education examination agencies, and other bodies responsible for admissions oversight. source
What to do
Audit current postgraduate admissions policies against 《2027年全国硕士研究生招生工作管理规定》 and update internal procedures for the 2027 intake cycle.
Train admissions staff on collective-decision-making protocols and unified examination timelines under the new rule.
Assess separate-examination and recommendation-exemption channels for alignment with strategic-sector targeting and discipline-specific strengths.
Await and review any further implementing guidance from provincial education authorities or the Ministry of Education.
Key dates
24 September 2026: Ministry of Education publication of the rule. source
21 September 2026: Ministry of Education notice issuance date shown in the document. source