BEIJING - The number of China's universities and colleges reached 2,596 by the end of 2016, according to a report released by the Ministry of Education.

The report said 4.05 million students were admitted to undergraduate programs in 2016, making the country a higher education powerhouse.

It showed that 28.53 million people graduated with a bachelor's degree from 2005 to 2015. Among those with who obtained jobs in urban areas in 2015, those with bachelor's degrees accounted for 47.2 percent, 25 percentage points higher than 2005.

"Those with bachelor's degrees constitute the most important engine of the country's newly increased human resources who support the country's social development and economic drive," the report said.

Staff numbers are growing. The number of undergraduate university faculty rose from 1.065 million in 1995 to 2.369 million in 2015, the report said.

"The development of top-tier undergraduate education is well underway, while we should not overlook the people's demand for a higher-quality education and unbalanced educational resources in different regions," a ministry official said.