Universities

Founded in 1924, Xinjiang University (XJU) is a comprehensive national key university and the only national key university in Xinjiang, with a broad range of disciplines and a leading research role in the region. Disciplines include Philosophy, Economics, Law, History, Sciences, Engineering, Management, and Arts. The university offers 89 undergraduate specialties, including 10 national characteristic specialties and 19 autonomous-region scarce-talent specialties; 8 first-level and 47 second-level doctoral programs; 11 postdoctoral mobile stations; 29 first-level and 154 second-level master's programs; and 8 master's degree categories. It has 2 national key academic disciplines, 1 national key basic research discipline, 6 key construction discipline groups under Project 211, 16 autonomous-region key disciplines, and 2 autonomous-region key cultivation disciplines. As of 2013 there were about 24,800 students of all kinds: 19,400 full-time undergraduates, 5,000 full-time graduates, 300 doctoral candidates, 800 part-time graduates, and 400 foreign students. Full-time teachers numbered 1,824, including 228 professors, 629 associate professors, 862 with master's degrees, 472 with doctorates, 99 doctoral supervisors, and 582 master's supervisors. The university has 2 national and 9 autonomous-region teaching teams; 1 CAE academician; 1 Yangtze River Scholar distinguished professor; 37 experts with State Council special allowance; 19 autonomous-region distinguished teachers; 14 outstanding experts; 3 members of the Millions of Talents Project; 10 members of the New Century Excellent Talents support program

Xuzhou Medical University (XZMU) is in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province (about three hours by train to Beijing or Shanghai). It is administered by the Jiangsu Provincial Government. Founded in 1958, it is a center for medical education, service, and research in northern Jiangsu and the Huaihai Economic Zone. Since 2001 it has repeatedly ranked among the top fifty medical colleges nationwide in comprehensive strength. In 2005 it received an “Excellence” rating in the Ministry of Education Undergraduate Course Teaching Level Assessment and began educating international students. In 2013 it was authorized to grant doctoral degrees. There are four campuses covering over 1,200 mu; the second Main Campus extension is in use. The university has fourteen affiliated hospitals (two under direct administration), five clinical institutes, and more than eighty clinical teaching bases. In 2007 two of its papers were selected among China’s First “One Hundred Most Influential and Excellent International Dissertations.” It offers 24 undergraduate specialties across major medical fields, including Clinical Medicine, Anesthesiology, Optometry, Medical Imageology, Medical Rehabilitation, Preventive Medicine, Nutriology, Stomatology, and Oral Restoration. Separately, the application-guide text notes about 11,000 students including around 350 international students from nearly 40 countries

Yangtze Normal University (YZNU) is a full-time regular undergraduate university run by the Chinese government, with a history of over 80 years. It is in Fuling District, Chongqing (historically associated with the Ba Kingdom), and plays a significant role in Chongqing’s higher-education layout and local development. The School of International Education offers multilevel Chinese courses for international students—elementary to advanced comprehensive Chinese, reading, listening, writing, speaking, China Panorama, Chinese martial arts, Chinese painting, calligraphy, HSK, and HSKK—with a strong HSK pass rate among Chongqing universities. Cultural festivals, talent contests, and New Year parties support exchange; students also join Chinese cultural activities and social practice. Campuses cover over 320 acres with more than 700,000 square meters of built area. There are 20 schools and departments offering 53 undergraduate majors across ten disciplines: liberal arts, sciences, pedagogy, law, management, history, economics, engineering, agronomy, and art. Faculty include 1,478 professional teachers (about 470 with senior titles, 350 with doctorates, 700 with master’s degrees). Full-time students exceed 20,000, including about 200 international students from Asia, Europe, and Africa

Yangzhou University in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, is a comprehensive provincial university under Ministry of Education guidance. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate study across arts, sciences, engineering, agriculture, and medicine. International students join degree programmes on its Yangzhou campuses.

Yanshan University, founded in 1978 and rooted in the academic lineage of Harbin Institute of Technology, is located in the coastal city of Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province. Its campus spans 330 hectares and includes nearly one million square metres of built space. The university hosts around 39,000 students and employs approximately 3,000 staff, including over 2,000 teaching staff. It operates twenty-one colleges and offers doctoral degrees across ten disciplines, master’s degrees in twenty-four fields, and sixty-one undergraduate programmes. Engineering forms a central focus, while faculties also cover science, humanities, economics, management, law, and education. The College of International Exchange supports language instruction, international student administration, and cross-cultural academic activities.

Yantai University (YTU) was established in 1984 with support from Peking University and Tsinghua University and is a key provincial comprehensive university. The campus covers more than 220 hectares on the coast of the Yellow Sea. There are 22 schools with 55 undergraduate and 54 graduate programs. Faculty number 1,158, including 611 full and associate professors; 317 hold doctoral degrees (27.5%) and 545 hold master’s degrees (47.1%); 74.6% of teachers hold a master’s degree or above. Notable appointments mentioned include 1 CAE academician, national outstanding teachers and New Century talent awardees, 12 experts with State Council special allowance, and other provincial honors. Over 300 nationally and internationally known scholars and 13 part-time academicians teach across disciplines. The library covers 43,800 square meters with about 1.7 million books, 0.8 million electronic books, 11,000 video tapes, and 10,000 Chinese and foreign dictionaries, plus 34 databases and campus internet access

Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute is in Kaifeng, Henan. It began in March 1929 as the Hydraulic Engineering Special School affiliated to the Henan Construction Department, later becoming Henan Hydraulic Engineering Special School (1931), State Yellow River Basin Hydraulic Engineering College (1942), Yellow River Conservancy College (1958), and Yellow River Conservancy School (1961). In March 1998 it was reconstructed as Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute. In December 2006 it was recognized among the first 28 demonstrative vocational and technical colleges by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance. It has more than 600 full-time teachers (about 30% professors/associate professors; about 50% with master’s or doctoral degrees), more than 16,000 full-time college students, and more than 2,000 adult students. There are 18 departments and 73 specialties across industry, economy, art, and management, including 1 national first-class specialty, 2 national teaching-reform experimental specialties, 14 provincial key specialties, 13 national top-level courses, and 18 provincial top-level courses. Campus area exceeds 14 hectares with about 480,000 square meters of construction. Experimental and training space totals about 2.55 hectares with 187 workshops and labs

Yoyo Chinese is an online Chinese learning platform offering video courses and structured Mandarin lessons for beginners through advanced learners. It is a digital language-learning product rather than a campus-based university; students typically study remotely for conversational Chinese and HSK-oriented goals.

Founded in 1958, Zhejiang A&F University (ZAFU) is a comprehensive university with 54 undergraduate and 52 graduate programs across eight areas: agriculture, technology, science, literature, management, economics, law, and art. It is located on the outskirts of Hangzhou. Each year about 400 students from over 40 countries enroll in Chinese language and degree programs. The university also offers short-term tailored programs for international students to learn Mandarin and experience Chinese and southern China culture

Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZCMU) is a provincial university focused on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), with coordinated development across related disciplines. It began as Zhejiang Training School of TCM in July 1953, became Zhejiang College of TCM in June 1959, and was renamed Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in February 2006. It was among the first universities authorized to recruit and train postgraduate students. ZCMU has about 13,000 full-time students and more than 600 international students. It comprises 12 colleges, 1 independent college, 14 research institutes, 3 directly affiliated hospitals, and 20 indirectly affiliated hospitals. It offers 26 bachelor programs across Medicine, Science, Engineering, Management, and Arts; 3 post-doctoral stations; 14 doctoral programs; and 48 master’s programs. It was the first among provincial universities authorized to grant doctoral degrees, to host a TCM post-doctoral station, and to hold a key specialty at the state level. It is also a certification center for TCM doctor qualification. Disciplines include 1 key subject at state level and 42 at provincial level (including 2 top-priority first-level subjects and 1 top-priority specialty subject). The university reports cooperation with 62 education, research, and medical institutes in 28 countries and regions, and enrolls overseas students from over 50 countries and regions. It may employ overseas experts and has invited over 40 as guest professors

Zhejiang Gongshang University (ZJGSU) is jointly built by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Education. It is in Hangzhou. Its predecessor, Hangzhou Secondary Commercial School, was founded in 1911 and is among China’s earliest specialized commercial schools. In 2017 it was named a key construction university in Zhejiang Province, with Statistics and Business Administration on the provincial advantageous and characteristic disciplines list. In 2023 it was selected for Zhejiang’s “Double First-Class Initiative (196 Project)”; Statistics was listed for provincial top-notch (“peak”) discipline construction, and Business Administration and Marxist Theory for provincial advantageous and characteristic disciplines. According to Wu Shulian’s 2025 Comprehensive Strength Ranking of Chinese Universities, ZJGSU ranked 6th among finance and economics universities. In the 2024 ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Food Science and Engineering ranked 15th and Tourism and Hospitality Management 48th worldwide (both in the world top 50); the number of top-50 disciplines ranked first among provincial universities. Business Administration ranked 14th in China.

Zhejiang International Studies University (ZISU) is a public university under Zhejiang Province. It was formerly Zhejiang Education Institute; the Ministry of Education approved the status change in 2010. The campus is beside West Lake in Hangzhou. About 5,800 full-time students study in more than 30 bachelor’s or associate-degree majors across 12 schools: English Language and Cultures; European and Asian Languages and Cultures; Chinese Language and Culture; International Business Administration; Education Science; Science and Technology; Art; Applied Foreign Languages; Social Science; Physical Education; International Education; and Continuing Education. Five provincial key disciplines: foreign linguistics and applied linguistics; international trade and tourism; international communication of Chinese language and culture; curriculum and instructional theory; and applied chemistry. ZISU is a provincial key base for teacher education and training and has 14 research institutions, including the Institute of Latin American Studies (described as a forerunner in Zhejiang). In 2008 it signed a cooperation agreement with Beijing Foreign Studies University covering teaching, research, and management. It also has long-term ties with colleges and universities in about 20 countries, plus partners in Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan.

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, ZJNU ranked No. 1 among Zhejiang provincial universities, 25–34 in China, 89 in Asia, and 501–600 worldwide. More than 3,000 international students from over 150 countries study at ZJNU. Popular majors for internationals include Business Administration, International Economics & Trade, Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, Comparative Education, and Computer Science and Technology. It is described as the only public university selected among the “Top 10 Foreign Cooperation Units in Zhejiang Province.” In 2019 it was the only university in China awarded “Advanced Chinese Cooperation Institution of Confucius Institutes” for five consecutive years. In 2020 it was selected as a Zhejiang International Cultural Exchange Base and among the first Zhejiang Internationalized Characteristic institutions

Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) is established by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province and is one of Zhejiang’s key universities. It was founded in 1958 as Zhoushan Fishery College, renamed Zhejiang Fishery College in 1975, and became Zhejiang Ocean College in 1998 through merger with Zhoushan Normal College; further marine and fishery units joined after 2000. In 2016 it was officially named Zhejiang Ocean University. The school motto is “Embracing Diversity, Pursuing Excellence,” with an ocean-oriented focus. Campuses have moved several times over more than 60 years. Structure: 10 schools, 1 independent school, 2 teaching units, and 2 interdisciplinary research institutions. About 12,119 full-time students (excluding over 5,400 full-time students in the independent school) and 1,189 faculty members, of whom 846 are full-time teachers. There are 4 state-level and 27 provincial research platforms.

Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (ZSTU) is a key provincial university in Hangzhou. It has 17 affiliated colleges (including teaching departments), 63 undergraduate programs, 65 master’s programs, and 12 doctoral programs. About 27,000 full-time students are enrolled, including around 3,500 postgraduate students. ZSTU is a host institute under Chinese Government Scholarship Programs. It began enrolling international students in 2003 and has accepted students from more than 60 countries and regions in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America

Zhejiang University, founded in 1897 in Hangzhou, is one of China’s leading comprehensive research universities. Teaching and research span science, engineering, medicine, humanities, and social sciences. International students study across a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Zhejiang University International Business School (ZIBS) is located on the International Campus in Haining, a city of over 800,000 people situated between Shanghai and Hangzhou. The campus opened in 2017 on a 200-acre site north of Juanhu Park and serves as ZIBS’s primary base for international business education. ZIBS launched in 2018 and delivers its International Master of Business Administration (iMBA) and Master of China Studies programmes in English, with specialisations in Fin-Tech Industry Management, International Management, and China Business Studies. Instruction takes place across campuses in Haining, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and internationally. The school draws on Zhejiang University’s interdisciplinary resources and collaborates with the Academy of Internet Finance and the Institute of China Studies. All programmes are taught in English.

Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics (ZUFE) is in Hangzhou. It emphasizes economics-related disciplines with coordinated development of Economics, Management, Humanities, Law, Science, Engineering, and Arts. Founded in 1974, it has three campuses — Xiasha (main), Wenhua, and Chang’an — on about 153 hectares. Structure: 14 schools, 2 teaching centers, 1 independent college, 51 research institutes and centers. It confers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees and enrolls international students and students from Hong Kong and Macao SARs. More than 25,000 full-time undergraduates and postgraduates. Library: more than 2.5 million volumes, 2,035 academic journals, 4.67 million e-books, and 30,000 e-journals, plus a featured sub-library for Nobel Economics Prize laureates’ works, ZUFE faculty works, and Zhejiang Businessman-related works. Nearly 50 undergraduate programs; over 50 postgraduate and professional master’s programs in Applied Economics, Theoretical Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration, Law, and Statistics; and a doctoral program under the “National Special Needs Services Personnel Training Project.” Faculty and staff: 1,326, including 155 professors and 324 associate professors, plus national talent-program experts

Zhejiang University of Science and Technology (ZUST) is a multi-disciplinary university with an engineering emphasis, also covering science, arts, economics, management, and education. It combines experience from German universities of applied sciences with its own practice to train career-focused international talent. Two campuses: Xiaoheshan Campus in Hangzhou (at the foot of Xiaohe Mountain, with a campus lake and surrounding hills; about 30 minutes from West Lake and 20 minutes from Alibaba headquarters) and Anji Campus in Anji County (UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award locality). More than 21,000 full-time students; about 1,300 faculty, including over 340 professors and associate professors; 14 schools; 56 undergraduate programs and 11 English-taught graduate programs. Designations include 3 state-level key majors, 9 provincial-level key majors, 3 provincial-level key labs, and 8 provincial-level key disciplines. ZUST is a Chinese Government pilot for Chinese–German cooperation in high-level career-focused graduates, standing organizer of the “Chinese–German Education Forum,” and one of the first ten provincial pilot universities for “Cultivating Excellent Engineers.” International collaboration has been central since foundation

Zhejiang University of Technology (ZJUT) is a comprehensive key university of Zhejiang Province, co-established by the Zhejiang Provincial government and the Ministry of Education. It offers programs in engineering, science, liberal arts, law, economics, pharmaceutics, management, education, and related fields. Located in Hangzhou, it has three campuses — Zhaohui, Pingfeng, and Moganshan — covering about 213 hectares. There are over 3,000 staff; 28 colleges and 1 department; 70 undergraduate programs, 34 master’s programs, and 10 doctoral programs. It recruits international students and students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Among about 3,000 staff there are 497 professors, 988 associate professors, and over 1,497 teachers with doctoral degrees. The university has three CAE academicians of its own and four CAE/CAS academicians shared with other institutions; 43 “National Excellent Teacher” and 47 “Provincial Excellent Teacher” title holders. About 43,092 full-time students; 18,965 graduate students including 8,822 postgraduate students and 825 PhD candidates; and about 1,500 international students. It has cooperative relationships with about 180 colleges and universities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Australia, Russia, Korea, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, and elsewhere, plus more than 10 partners in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

Zhengzhou University, founded in 1956 in Zhengzhou, Henan, is a Project 211 university and a major comprehensive institution in central China. Teaching and research span science, engineering, medicine, humanities, and social sciences. International students join degree programmes alongside domestic cohorts.

Zhongnan University of Economics and Law is based in Wuhan, a major city in central China. Founded in 1948, it operates under the Ministry of Education and focuses primarily on economics, law, and management, supported by programmes in literature, history, philosophy, science, engineering, and art. The university comprises 19 schools and offers 51 undergraduate majors, 89 master’s and 51 doctoral programmes, including degrees in accounting, finance, international law, and IMBA—taught in English and accredited by AMBA. It hosts six postdoctoral mobile research centres and maintains a state-level intellectual property research base. Its nationally designated key disciplines include public finance, accounting, finance, and civil and commercial law. With over 20,000 students, ZUEL delivers taught and research-based education across multiple academic levels.