The Hainan Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone (海南陵水黎安国际教育创新试验区) is a Sino-foreign cooperative education cluster in Lingshui, Hainan, where mainland Chinese universities run Hainan-based international colleges together with foreign partner institutions. As of June 2026 it hosts 30 universities (11 Chinese, 19 foreign), 24 approved cooperative institutions or projects, and more than 60 majors.
What the zone is
The Pilot Zone operates under the Regulations of the Hainan Free Trade Port Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone (in force since 1 January 2024), which promotes mutual course selection, credit recognition, and a multi-school course system. The official site is https://www.study-hn.cn/.
All undergraduate cooperative programs in the zone are plan-in unified recruitment: they are included in the national ordinary higher-education enrollment plan and require the national college entrance examination (Gaokao). No program uses a plan-exempt, separate-entrance-exam, or N+N pathway.
Participating Chinese universities and partners
Eleven Chinese universities operate Hainan international colleges or programs within the zone. Their foreign partners and first-intake years are listed below.
| Chinese university | Hainan unit | Foreign partner(s) | First intake | First graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications | Queen Mary School Hainan | Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) | 2022 | 2026 |
| Communication University of China | CUC Hainan International College | Coventry University; Abertay University; Michigan State University | 2022 | 2026 |
| University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | Glasgow College Hainan | University of Glasgow | 2022 | 2026 |
| Beijing Sport University | Alberta International College of Recreation, Sport and Tourism | University of Alberta | 2023 | Expected 2027 |
| Minzu University of China | Minzu Hainan International College | Middlesex University; City University of Macau | 2023 | Expected 2027 |
| Beijing Language and Culture University | BLCU Hainan International College | ESC Clermont Business School; Northeastern State University (Oklahoma) | 2025 (Clermont); 2026 (NSU) | Expected 2029 |
| Tianjin University | Tianjin University Reading Henley International College | University of Reading (Henley Business School) | 2026 | Expected 2030 |
| China University of Political Science and Law | CUPL Hainan International College | University of Ottawa | 2026 | Expected 2030 |
| China University of Geosciences (Beijing) | CUGB Hainan International College | University of Aberdeen; Birmingham City University | 2026 | Expected 2030/2031 |
| Northeast Forestry University | NEFU Hainan International College (Xilin College; Hainan Aolin College) | University of Technology Sydney; University of Auckland | 2026 | Expected 2030 |
| Xi'an Jiaotong University | XJTU Hainan Campus | University of British Columbia; Lancaster University | 2026 | Expected 2030 |
The foreign partner count (19) exceeds the eleven Chinese universities because several Chinese universities run multiple partner institutions or projects.
Academic model
Most programs follow a 4+0 structure: students complete all four years in Hainan and receive both the Chinese university's graduation certificate and bachelor's degree and the foreign partner's degree. Some colleges offer optional or required study-abroad segments:
- Glasgow College Hainan and CUC Hainan International College allow voluntary 2+2 / 3+1 or third-year exchange, but the foreign degree does not require going abroad.
- Northeast Forestry University (Xilin College) and Xi'an Jiaotong University require an overseas segment (UTS Sydney for the fourth year; UBC for years three and four; Lancaster for the third year) to obtain the foreign degree.
- Minzu University's data science program requires the third year at City University of Macau.
Degrees and certification
Graduates of approved 4+0 programs receive a Chinese diploma and degree plus the foreign partner's degree. The foreign degree can be certified by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) provided the institution or project is listed on the Ministry of Education's cooperative-education platform (crs.jsj.edu.cn). For 4+0 study (less than 180 days abroad), CSCSE certification requires only the degree certificate, ID, and authorization — no passport or entry-exit records. Programs with an overseas segment of 180 days or more may apply under the standard overseas-study certification type.
Cross-school shared courses
The zone's "one school enrollment, multi-school course selection" model lets enrolled students take shared courses across institutions. In 2025 the zone opened 207 shared courses (303.5 credits, 3,733 enrollments); by the 2026 press conference it offered 337 cross-school shared courses. Shared courses affect in-study course selection only and do not change the fact that admission is through a specific university's unified recruitment plan.
Scale in 2026
The 2026 press conference reported:
- 24 approved Sino-foreign cooperative institutions/projects (2 new institutions — NEFU Xilin College and Hainan Aolin College — and 6 new projects added for 2026).
- 2026 undergraduate planned enrollment of 2,563 students.
- The 2026 graduating class from the zone numbered 273, including 61 recommended for postgraduate admission (保研) and 157 proceeding to overseas or cross-border study, with 92 admitted to QS top-50 universities.
Note on relocated institution
Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences was removed from the Li'an Pilot Zone: its Ministry of Education registered address changed in October 2025 to Danzhou Yangpu Economic Development Zone and it is no longer part of Li'an.
Sources
- Hainan Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone official site: https://www.study-hn.cn/
- Hainan online press conference (2026 enrollment press conference transcript): https://hnxwfbt.hinews.cn/xinwen/show-2960.html
- Hainan online press conference (2025 enrollment press conference transcript): https://lsrm.hinews.cn/xinwen/show-39492.html
- Ministry of Education cooperative-education approval platform (example: BUPT Queen Mary School Hainan): https://www.crs.jsj.edu.cn/aproval/detail/3077
- Hainan Provincial People's Government, Pilot Zone Regulations: https://www.hainan.gov.cn/hainan/zchbhnwj/202311/abd9ce4717d140ca8b16a3385bf1b44c.shtml
- Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, certification materials: https://zwfw.cscse.edu.cn/zwfw/lxfwzxwsfwdt2020/xlxwrz32/sqcl/ndjm/2026042823583912537/index.html