Objective To conduct an in-depth analysis of the faculty and enrollment situation for doctoral students in general practice, and to inform the development of the discipline of general practice. Methods A combination of website research and data analysis, surveys were utilized to collect and organize information on doctoral supervisors in general practice from 23 sample institutions that enrolled doctoral students in this field from 2021 to 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to present the number, structure, distribution, enrollment numbers, and directions of enrollment of the doctoral supervisors in general practice. Results The 23 sampled institutions have a total of 78 doctoral supervisors in general practice. In terms of gender, males account for 56.4% (44/78). In terms of age, supervisors aged 45-59 account for 56.4% (44/78). In terms of educational background, 84.6% (66/78) supervisors have a doctoral degree. In terms of professional titles, supervisors with senior professional titles, account for 92.3% (72/78). In terms of regional distribution, the numbers of supervisors were highest in the Southwest and East China regions, each accounting for 21.8% (17/78). A total of 100 doctoral students were enrolled from 2021 to 2023. The average number of students enrolled per institution was predominant in the Southwest and South China regions, with an average of 7 students each. The enrollment scale in the northwest region was the smallest (1.7). In terms of supervisors′ enrollment (research) directions, they were quite scattered, predominantly focusing on specialized fields such as public health, endocrinology and metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusions Several issues are identified in this study, such as the limited number of institutions enrolling doctoral students in general practice, the small scale of enrollment, the uncoordinated regional development, and the weak faculty team. In response to these, it is recommended to strengthen top-level design at the national and university levels, improve relevant national policies, encourage institutions with enrollment qualifications to recruit students (especially encouraging leading universities to play an exemplary role), optimize the structure of the faculty team and the allocation of talent resources, and standardize the research directions of supervisors in general practice.