OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the willingness of Chinese university students for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) detection, and provide evidence to formulate appropriate programs to improve college students′ willingness to test HIV in epidemic prevention departments and universities of China.

METHODS Systematic review of the domestic and foreign published literature related to HIV testing willingness of college students in China was conducted in electronic databases, including SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL from the establishment of the database to November, 2022. The literature was screened and the data were extracted, the quality of included studies was assessed by using Critical Appraisal Tools published by AHRQ. The single rate meta-analysis was performed by Stata 17.0 software to analysis the rates of willingness. Egger rank correlation and funnel plot were used to determine publication bias for included studies.

RESULTS A total of 154 732 college students were included in the 28 articles ultimately included. Meta-analysis showed that the overall HIV testing willingness of college students in China was 65.20%95%CI(56.50%-73.90%). Subgroup analyses showed that HIV testing intentions were higher among college students who studied in the Northeast and East, male, lived in urban area, junior college students, majored in medicine, had sexual experiences, and had knowledgeable about HIV testing.

CONCLUSION The willingness of Chinese university students for HIV detection is at an intermediate level. The government and universities should strengthen cooperation, formulate reasonable programs for different groups of people, create a supportive environment for them, and integrate the relevant measures to improve the HIV testing willingness of college students in China.