SWUFE is a national key university under direct administration of the Ministry of Education and is listed in both “Project 211” and “985 Innovative Platforms for Key Disciplines Project”of the Chinese government as part of the national endeavor to build world-class universities in the 21st century. It is also selected as one of the trial spots for nation-wide educational reform. Located in the city of Chengdu, SWUFE now has two campuses, the Guanghua Campus and the Liulin Campus. With an overall area of about 380 acres (or 2300 Chinese Mu), SWUFE is also known for its picturesque campus scenery.

Renmin University of China; RUC, also known as People's University of China is a major research university in Haidian District, Beijing. Its campus neighbors those of Peking University and Tsinghua University. Renmin University is one of the most prestigious universities in China, with a distinct focus on humanities and social sciences. Renmin University has produced many influential figures in China's reform and development, and is home to many outstanding scholars in law, economics, journalism and other fields. As measured by admission scores of China's National Higher Education Entrance Examination, Renmin University has consistently ranked among the top three most selective Chinese universities in the liberal arts and social science division.

Central University of Finance and Economics is colloquially known in Chinese as Zhongcai or Yangcai and formerly as the Central Institute of Finance and Economics, is a university in Beijing, China. It is a Project 211 university which receives support from the Chinese central government. Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE) was founded in 1949, shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Originally named the Central Institute of Taxation, it was the first university of finance and economics established by the Chinese central government. In 1996, the Institute was given its current name.

Fudan University, located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League and Universities 21. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty. Fudan University is composed of four campuses, including Handan, Fenglin, Zhangjiang, and Jiangwan. Starting from the 1950s, Fudan has enrolled international students — one of the first few institutions in China to do so. Since then, Fudan has accepted and trained over 10,000 foreign students from 100 countries and regions worldwide. At the end of 2006, there were 2,812 international students studying at Fudan University, ranked number 2 in the nation. Half of them were actively pursuing degrees, the rest were general visiting scholars. In addition, Fudan enrolls over 1700 short-term students each year.

Peking University is a major research university located in Beijing, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China, founded as the "Imperial University of Peking" in 1898 as a replacement of the ancient Guozijian. By 1920 it had become a center for progressive thought. Today, Peking University is frequently placed as one of the best universities in China by many national and international rankings. In addition to academics, Peking University is especially renowned for its campus grounds, and the beauty of its traditional Chinese architecture. Throughout its history, the university has educated and hosted many prominent modern Chinese thinkers, including figures such as: Lu Xun, Mao Zedong, Gu Hongming, Hu Shih, Li Dazhao, and Chen Duxiu. Peking University was influential in the birth of China's New Culture Movement, May Fourth Movement, the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 and many other significant events.

Nankai University is commonly known as Nankai, is a public research university based in Tianjin on mainland China. Founded in 1919 by educators Zhang Boling (1876-1951) and Yan Fansun (1860-1920), Nankai University is a member of the Nankai serial schools. It is the alma mater of former Chinese Premier and key historical figure Zhou Enlai. Nankai University is regarded as one of the top and first class universities in China.

Xiamen University is colloquially known as Xia Da, located in Xiamen, Fujian province, is the first university in China founded by overseas Chinese. Established by Mr. Tan Kah Kee in 1921, the university was originally known as the University of Amoy. The school motto is "Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection. The university is one of many comprehensive universities directly administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education. In 1995 it was included in the list of the 211 Project for the state key construction; in 2000 it became one of China’s higher-level universities designated for the state key construction of the 985 Project. According to University Undergraduates Teaching Assessment and Chinese Universities Evaluation Standings, the university is ranked 11th in China and has maintained the top 20 ranking in China, among which 6 subjects reach A++ level, including economics and management, music, law, chemistry, journalism, communication and mathematics.

The University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), situated in the northeast of Beijing, was founded in 1951. UIBE is a national key university under the leadership of the Ministry of Education, and is also a part of "Project 211", a governmental program aimed at turning about 100 Chinese universities into exceptionally high quality academic institutions in the 21st century. Now UIBE is one of the most important institutes for talents' training and scientific research on Chinese economic and business development.

Hunan University, situated at the foot of the picturesque Yuelu Hill and on the west bank of the rippling Xiang River in the historically and culturally renowned City of Changsha, capital city of Hunan Province, is honored as an "Ancient Millenarian Academy, Famous Centennial University". It is one of the key universities affiliated with the Ministry of Education and is now included in the state's "Project 211" and "Project 985" for priority investment and construction. Professor Liu Keli and Academician Zhong Zhihua are respectively the Party secretary of the CPC Hunan University Committee and the president of the university.

Sun Yat-sen University, informally called Zhongshan University, has a main campus in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and a secondary one in Zhuhai. The University is named after the man who founded it in 1924 - Sun Yat-sen, a prominent political figure in the Republic of China. It includes schools and departments in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technical sciences, medical sciences, pharmacology, and management science. In 2011, it had 36,000 students in 23 schools and colleges and offered graduate courses across 17 disciplines, including schools in medicine, dentistry, law and business. In its 2011-12 rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed the university somewhere between the positions 276 and 300 worldwide.