The Ministry of Education has announced the approval for the establishment of 12 new higher education institutes, as revealed in a circular published on its official website on Wednesday.

Among the 12 institutions, eight are newly established, including a medical university in Shanxi province and an aviation university in Hubei province.

In addition, four universities have been restructured from existing colleges, such as Yueyang University that has been restructured from Hunan Institute of Science and Technology's Nahu College, according to the ministry.