Non-Governmental Universities in Inner Mongolia, China: Features of Functioning and Development

Статья посвящена анализу деятельности негосударственных The article evaluates the activities of non-governmental higher education institutions in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (IMAR) as a distinct actor in the educational process amid governmental reforms. The study is based on case analyses of two regional institutions – Honder College (鸿德文理学院) and Pioneer College (Inner Mongolia University Entrepreneurship College, 内蒙古大学创业学院). The study focuses on their emergence in the 2000s, their role in expanding access to higher education (undergraduate level), and attracting private capital. Additionally, the study examines institutional contradictions within the educational model, manifested in blurred ownership structures, dependence on so-called affiliated universities, and limited academic autonomy. Particular attention is given to policies concerning the transition of non-governmental colleges into fully independent private universities or their integration into the state sector. The article demonstrates that, in the context of the peripheral, ethnoregional, and borderland space of Inner Mongolia, educational reforms significantly influence the structure and nature of higher education development in the autonomous region.