Universities

China Pharmaceutical University (CPU) is in Nanjing. It began as the National Pharmaceutical School in 1936 and was China’s first independent school of pharmacy. It remains a leading pharmacy university with many specialized fields. It is a “211 Project” key university under the Ministry of Education. 1 and Traditional Chinese Pharmacy ranks No. 3 CPU was among the earliest institutions authorized by the Ministry of Education to admit full-time pharmacy students and visiting scholars from overseas. It hosts Chinese scholarship students and has recruited international students since the 1950s. Structure: 6 schools (Pharmacy; Traditional Chinese Pharmacy; Life Science and Technology; International Pharmaceutical Business; Continuing Education; Higher Vocational Education), 4 independent departments (Basic Sciences; Foreign Languages; Social Sciences; Physical Education), and 23 key labs and centers at state or provincial level. For international students, CPU offers 22 bachelor’s, 33 master’s, 26 doctoral, and 23 post-doctoral programs in Chinese, plus English Pharmacy programs, visiting student and visiting scholar programs, Chinese language programs, and 6 short-term training programs

Hohai University was established in 1915 and is known worldwide for water conservancy research and education. It traces back to Hohai Civil Engineering School, founded by Zhang Jian — China’s first institution focused on water conservancy. After the 1952 national college restructuring, East China Technical University of Water Resources was formed from water-related disciplines of Nanjing University, Tongji University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Zhejiang University. It was renamed Hohai University in 1985; Deng Xiaoping inscribed the university’s name. Main campus is in Nanjing, with additional campuses in Changzhou and Jiangning. Total area is about 1,533,333 m². It is a state key university under the Ministry of Education, focused on water conservancy, with engineering as the first priority and coordinated development of engineering, science, economics, management, liberal arts, and law. It is also a Project 211 university. Programs: 52 undergraduate majors; first-level master’s degrees in 34 disciplines and second-level master’s in 185; 9 post-doctoral research bases; first-level Ph.D. degrees in 12 disciplines and second-level in 57.

Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) is a Ministry of Education university in Nanjing with agriculture and life sciences at its core. It is a Double First-Class institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes across plant, animal, food, engineering, and social-science faculties. International students join degree and exchange pathways in food, environment, and rural development fields.

Nanjing Normal University (NNU) is a national key university under Project 211. Its history goes back to Sanjiang Normal Institute (1902). It has three campuses—Suiyuan (often called “the most beautiful campus in the East”), Xianlin, and Zijin—totaling more than 2,000,100 square meters (over 200 hectares). NNU has 24 schools and colleges, 80 undergraduate programs, 199 graduate programs, and 130 doctoral programs across humanities, social sciences, science, engineering, art, and related fields. In 2011 there were about 25,000 full-time students. It was among the earliest universities authorized by the Ministry of Education to open to the outside world and is a National Base for Teaching Chinese for Foreigners. International students have studied at NNU since 1965; more than 20,000 have completed study there. In 2011 it accepted 1,600 students from 123 countries and regions. It is a base for the Chinese Government Scholarship Students Foundation Program and is known for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. It has partnerships with 144 universities in 28 countries. The NNU library is the third largest in Jiangsu Province, with more than 2,500,000 books. Jingwen Library on Xianlin Campus is described as the largest university library in Jiangsu with advanced facilities.

The Institute for International Students handles international student enrollment at Nanjing University. It is a national test site for HSK, the Test of Practical Chinese (C.Test), and the Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) Capability Test. It has hosted more than 10,000 international students from over 70 countries. Graduates have gone into politics, business, and scholarship. The Institute includes the Department of Chinese Language, the Department of TCFL, the Institute of Chinese-Foreign Culture Comparison Studies, the Postgraduates Center, and the Teaching Materials Center for TCFL. It offers Chinese language and culture programs, short-term language training, and degree programs (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.). Faculty: 33 full-time (23 professors or associate professors) plus over 30 adjunct faculty, experienced in teaching Chinese to foreign students. It has served as a training site for organizations including the Chinese Department of the UN, CIEE, the Chinese Teaching Association of the New York Area, and the American National Chinese Flagship Program, and works with foreign governments, companies, diplomatic services, the military, and schools. It offers Chinese language and culture programs and HSK prep courses; HSK candidates from the university have traditionally ranked highly.

Founded in Nanjing in 1952, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics has grown into a multidisciplinary university with strong foundations in aeronautics, astronautics, and civil aviation. It hosts fifteen colleges, including Aerospace Engineering, Energy & Power Engineering, and Civil Aviation, alongside nearly one hundred research institutes and over fifty laboratories—among them a National Key Laboratory and several ministerial-level facilities. The university offers undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral programmes across engineering, management, natural sciences, and the humanities. Its campus community includes more than sixteen thousand undergraduates, nearly eight thousand postgraduates, and over six hundred international students. With over three thousand full-time staff—including hundreds of professors, doctoral supervisors, and nationally recognised scholars—the university supports teaching and research through sustained institutional development. Its academic profile reflects a long-standing focus on aerospace-related disciplines while maintaining breadth across science, technology, and social sciences.

Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, established in 1960 as Nanjing Institute of Meteorology, became a nationally designated key university in 1978 and adopted its current name in 2004. Located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, it operates under joint oversight by the China Meteorological Administration and the Jiangsu Provincial Government. The university delivers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes across 55 specialisations, with academic activity organised through 22 schools and departments—including Atmospheric Science, Remote Sensing, Environmental Science, Computer and Software, and International Students. Its research infrastructure includes over 20 provincial and ministerial-level scientific institutes and a post-doctoral research centre. Around 30,000 full-time undergraduates study alongside more than 1,600 teaching staff, of whom 70% hold professorial ranks or doctorates, and over half have studied overseas. Academic strengths span meteorology, information science, environmental engineering, and interdisciplinary fields linking atmospheric and digital systems.

Southeast University (SEU), founded in 1902, is one of China’s oldest higher education institutions. It is in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province. Jiangsu has ranked first among Chinese provinces in absorbing foreign investment for five continuous years in the period cited; more than one-third of the world’s top 500 multinational corporations have branches in the province. Nanjing is about two hours from Shanghai by train and reachable by air from other major cities. SEU is a key university under the Ministry of Education and a research-oriented comprehensive institution with 3 national key labs, 26 ministerial key labs, 2 national engineering research centers, and 10 ministerial engineering research centers. In MOE discipline assessments cited, biomedical engineering ranked 1st, transportation engineering 2nd, architecture and art 3rd, and civil engineering 5th. SEU awards bachelor’s, master’s, PhD, and honorary degrees and offers over 75 undergraduate programs )