As the basis of classified development of universities, university classification has made abundant research achievements in the past two decades. With the help of bibliometric method and through the analysis of literature statistics and CiteSpace knowledge mapping, this paper summarizes the general situation of research on university classification in China, systematically classifies it from four aspects:academic value and practical significance, theoretical basis and research methods, index setting and system construction, perspective selection and practical exploration, and puts forward four dimensions of university classification problems in the future:the practice of classified development of colleges and universities, the integration of multi-disciplinary basis, the construction of a classification framework with Chinese characteristics in line with the national conditions, and the establishment of a scientific and reasonable index system for the classification of colleges and universities in the future.