Universities

Xi'an Jiaotong University, founded in 1896, is situated in Xi’an—a historic city that served as capital to thirteen Chinese dynasties. Its three campuses—Xingqing, Yanta, and Qvjiang—form a connected academic presence across the city. The university hosts nearly 30,000 full-time students, over half of whom are enrolled in postgraduate programmes. It offers a broad range of study options, including 82 undergraduate, 242 master’s, and 154 doctoral programmes. English-medium master’s degrees have been available since 2011, with fields such as management science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering among those taught entirely in English. The clinical medicine programme for international students, launched in 1995, remains one of its longest-running English-language offerings.

Xiamen University (XMU) was founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee, a prominent overseas Chinese leader, and was the first university in China founded by an overseas Chinese. It is a key comprehensive university directly under the Ministry of Education, ranked among the top 20 of more than 2,000 Chinese universities and colleges, with strong international recognition. Campuses lie on either side of Xiamen Bay between hills and the sea. The university has a graduate school and 26 schools or colleges with 66 departments, plus 10 research institutes. It offers 83 undergraduate, 276 master's, and 187 PhD programmes. Full-time academic and research staff number over 2,500, including 23 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering. Enrollment exceeds 40,000 full-time students: 20,314 undergraduates, 17,312 master's candidates, 2,956 doctoral candidates, and over 2,700 international students plus students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. XMU was among the earliest institutions to develop overseas education, starting overseas correspondence education in the 1950s and accepting Chinese Government Scholarship students from 1981. In total it has welcomed over 20,000 overseas correspondence students and over 10,000 foreign students from more than 100 countries

Xiangtan University is in Xiangtan City, Hunan, and operates under joint support of the Hunan Provincial Government and the Ministry of Education. It was among China’s first institutions authorized to award master’s degrees and among the earliest approved to enroll overseas students and national-defense students. Its bachelor’s education was rated excellent in a Ministry of Education evaluation. Established in 1958, it was approved by the State Council as a key state university in 1978. On 17 December 2005, the Ministry of Education and Hunan Provincial Government agreed to provide joint financial support. The university has 20 faculties and teaching divisions; 72 bachelor’s specialties; 19 first-level master’s disciplines and 115 master’s programs; 4 professional master’s programs; 17 doctoral programs; 5 postdoctoral stations; 2 state key disciplines; and 13 provincial key disciplines.

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.

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.