Abstract: Colleges and universities in China play a dual role in administer law since they act as the administrative subjects, as well as administrative counterparts. On one hand, colleges and universities, as organizations authorized by law, are the administrative subjects that own administrative right and are allowed to exercise administrative power according to law. On the other hand, they are also objects of government administration, administrative counterparts. They are granted the right to initiate administrative proceedings when their legal rights are infringed. The analysis on the colleges and universities' status in administrative law has a positive effect in clarifying their rights and obligations in administrative law, determining their responsibility for administrative law, protecting the administrative counterpart's legitimate interests, promoting the policy to rule the school by law and improving the legal level of higher education management.

Key words: colleges and universities in China, legal status, subject of administration, administrative counterpart