The Ministry of Education holds a news conference on March 23, 2023. [Photo by Zou Shuo/chinadaily.com.cn]

BEIJING -- The gross enrollment ratio in China's higher education reached 59.6 percent in 2022, up 1.8 percentage points from 2021, the Ministry of Education said Thursday.

There were over 46.55 million students at higher-educational institutions including universities, colleges and vocational education facilities across the country as of 2022, the ministry told a press conference.

China has also set up 288 education bases at top-notch universities that have attracted over 30,000 students to major in basic subjects such as mathematics, chemistry, philosophy and preclinical medicine, according to the ministry.