A heated debate between a candidate and a senior monk at the High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

The college is set to welcome more students under a new five-year plan that will see numbers rise from the current 90 to about 120 by 2017, and to 150 by 2020.

The State Administration of Religious Affairs unveiled a national plan in June to develop an academic ranking system that will provide certificates for monks and nuns and confirm their achievements in the study of Tibetan Buddhism.

The system includes the three-year Tho Ram Pa program and the two-year program for Chi Ram Pa.