Based on data envelopment analysis ( DEA) ,this paper evaluates the efficiency of research and development activities of 46 typical vocational colleges in China from the perspectives of scientific research and social service. In the two - dimension perspec- tive,the overall efficiency level of the sample universities is improved,compared with that of the single - dimension perspective. The low pure technical efficiency is the main bottleneck factor. Most universities are in the stage of increasing returns to scale. While in- creasing the number of input factors,higher vocational colleges should integrate high - quality resources so that the scale construction and connotation construction of research and development activities can advance together.