The 2020 edition of the Best Chinese Subjects ranking was released by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy on Oct 15.

The ranking examines universities from the Chinese mainland that offer master's degrees in 96 national first-level subjects, and lists the universities in the top 50 percent of each subject.

After evaluating the universities' performances in each subject with the criteria of talent cultivation, research projects, awards and achievements, academic publications and outstanding talents, the final list includes a total of 4,946 entries from 485 universities.

236 subjects from 90 universities are among the top two or top two percent and therefore are granted the title of "top Chinese subjects". Peking University and Tsinghua University tied for first place with 24 top subjects, and Renmin University of China ranked third with 10.

In terms of quantity, Zhejiang University ranked first with 59 subjects on the list, followed by Tsinghua University and Wuhan University with 58 entries each.

Another five universities—Sichuan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Jilin University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Shandong University—entered the list with more than 50 entries.