A bird's-eye view of Hainan Free Trade Port's Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone in Lingshui, Hainan province. [Photo/VCG]

Hainan is committed to evolving an international education innovation island. It currently stands as the only region on the Chinese mainland that allows top overseas universities and vocational schools specializing in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine to set up and operate campuses independently.

The island province has introduced China's most streamlined approval process for educational institutions. This pioneering procedure features a joint evaluation by the Ministry of Education and the Hainan Provincial People's Government, tailored for Sino-foreign joint educational institutions offering undergraduate and higher-level programs.

With the support of these advantageous policies and targeted project incentives, Hainan has attracted numerous renowned domestic and international institutions spanning all educational tiers. Since 2018, Hainan has forged partnerships in over 140 education cooperation projects, with a combined investment surpassing 40 billion yuan ($5.57 billion), ushering in high-caliber educational resources across the island -- from kindergarten to higher education.

The educational resources that Hainan aims to bring in primarily encompass branches of prestigious domestic universities, high-level overseas educational institutions specializing in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine, Sino-foreign joint higher educational programs, and globally renowned international schools.

Milestones in Building an International Education Innovation Island

In the autumn of 2022, the first batch of Sino-foreign joint educational institutions approved by the Ministry of Education began operating in the Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, located in Lingshui Li autonomous county, Hainan. These institutions include Glasgow College Hainan, Queen Mary School Hainan, Coventry College of Communication University of China, and Alberta International School of Recreation, Sport and Tourism of Beijing Sport University.

The zone launched three schooling modes: Sino-foreign cooperative schooling, Hainan FTP international excellence classes, and planned postgraduate enrollment studies.

Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (BiUH) represents China's first independent university project established by a foreign institution. It's a beacon project of the cooperation between China and Germany in high-level applied talent training. While its transitional campus is located in the Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, its permanent campus is situated in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in Danzhou, Hainan province. All main buildings of the first phase of permanent campus have been completed, and BiUH is scheduled to move into the Yangpu permanent campus in the autumn of 2025.

Sources: 2024 Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development and Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences