C9 League

The C9 League (九校联盟) is an alliance of China's nine most elite universities, often compared to the Ivy League in prestige and selectivity. Established in 1998 under the 985 Project, the nine members — Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Xi'an Jiaotong University — receive the highest levels of government funding and account for a disproportionate share of China's top research output. Admission to C9 universities through the gaokao exam is extraordinarily competitive.