The top three key art universities are the Central Conservatory of Music, the Central Academy of Drama, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

1. Central Conservatory of Music

The Central Conservatory of Music was named and established in 1949 by the Government Affairs Council of the Central People's Government. It was formed through the merger of several music education institutions, including the National Conservatory of Music, the three music departments of North China University established in 1948, and the music department of the National Peking Art College established in 1918. It is an institution of higher learning that cultivates high-level professional music talents.

2. Central Academy of Drama

The Central Academy of Drama is the first drama education higher school in New China. It is an institution directly under the Ministry of Education and the highest institution of drama, film and television art education in China. It is a “double first-class” university designated by the state. It is the headquarters of the China Higher Drama Education Alliance, the headquarters of the Asian Drama Education Research Center and the secretariat of the World Drama Education Alliance. It is a world-famous art school.

3. Central Academy of Fine Arts

The Central Academy of Fine Arts is the only higher art school directly under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. The college is committed to building a modern art education discipline structure in which subject groups such as modeling, design, architecture, and humanities support and influence each other, and play a leading role in building an art education system with Chinese characteristics in the new century.