“小而精”高校的办学特征与典型案例 ——基于美国小微型高校的数据验证与分类分析-清华大学教育研究

文章信息/Info

Title:: The Institional Characteristics and Typical Cases of“Small but Excellent” Universities: A Data Veri?cation and Classi?cation Analysis of American Micro and Small Universities

Author(s):: ZHANG Wei; Higher Education Research Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University

Keywords:: small but excellent; Carnegie Classi?cations; data analysis; the United States and China

摘要:: “十五五”时期高等教育提质扩容的新要求，将再次推进高校规模的扩大，也会进一步引发对于“小而精”高校的关注和讨论。辨析了“小而精”高校的概念与美国高校类型的概况，通过2025版卡内基高等教育机构分类中美国小微型高校的数据，对于“精”的假设进行了检验和证伪，并简述了文理学院的办学特征，厘清其与“小而精”高校的关系。回顾了国内文献对于高校规模观点的转变，围绕高校规模开展讨论，建议对于高校规模应科学客观看待“小”、避免一概否定“大”、辩证分析“小”与“大”，加快建设高等教育强国。

Abstract:: The new requirements for enhancing quality and expanding capacity in higher education during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will further drive the expansion of university scale, while also intensifying attention and discussion on s“mall but excellent” universities. This paper analyzes the concept of s“mall but excellent” universities and provides an overview of the classi?cation of U.S. higher education institutions. Utilizing data from The Carnegie Classi?cation of Institutions of Higher Education (2025 edition), it tests and refutes the assumption regarding the e“xcellence” attribute, briefly describes the distinctive institutional characteristics of liberal arts colleges, and clari?es their relationship with “small but excellent” universities. It reviews shifts in Chinese academic perspectives on university size and offers recommendations: adopting a scientific and objective approach toward small-scale institutions, avoiding blanket rejection of large-scale ones, conducting a dialectical analysis of both models, and accelerating efforts to build China into a leading country in higher education.