Kaifeng's Central Imperial College was a magnet for students, but the capital was not the only place to obtain an education, and academies were set up in prefectures and counties throughout the land, along with private schools founded for the members of specific clans.
宋朝文風鼎盛，學校普遍，不僅京城中太學學生眾多，地方州縣也是書院廣設，許多家族都為子弟設有家塾，讀書的機會自由開放。