The forecast budgets for 2026 at Chinese universities are published each year in China and analysed in social media.
In terms of funding STEM / engineering-heavy institutions are pulling ahead
Budgets are higher in engineering universities than humanities, and there is also a rise in universities in the larger regional cities which are more connected to local industry.
Zhejiang university is one such example which is also rising as Hangzhou rises. Alibaba, hardware, now AI.
As the city’s economy has become a national tech engine, the university’s budget has climbed with it. The same is lifting universities in second-tier cities plugged into local industrial clusters, outside Beijing and Shanghai.
It’s interesting to contrast to other countries where there is a continual debate about ‘who should pay for universities?’
The difference is more of a mindset about what a university is for.
In China, universities are treated more as essential infrastructure for technology, and economic development and growth.