INTRODUCTION
Shantou University (STU, Agency Number: 10560), a key comprehensive university in Guangdong Province, was founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council. It is jointly supported by the Ministry of Education, the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Li Ka Shing Foundation. The University campus is located in the northwestern part of Shantou, a seaside city, covering a total area of 1888.70 mu with a floor space of 568,000 m2.
Since its inception, STU has received a generous support from the distinguished philanthropist and international entrepreneur, Mr. Li Ka-shing. The Li Ka Shing Foundation has earmarked grants of over 1 million HK dollars to support STU.
The University now offers a comprehensive education system from bachelor to doctorate programs. Currently, STU has a staff of 1,637 and over 10,488 students. It is a designated university for Chinese Government Scholarship students. The university has been offering degree and non-degree programs to international students since 1986. In September 2018, STU School of International Education was established to provide better education to international students studying at STU. STU School of International Education will integrate the teaching resources of the university to provide international students with high-quality degree programs and training programs, to foster the development of international education, and to promote cultural exchange and communication. Currently, Nine of the University’s colleges and schools, including School of International Education, College of Liberal Arts, College of Sciences, College of Engineering, Medical College, Law School, Business School, Cheung Kong School of Art and Design, and Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication, enroll qualified students for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degree programs from all over the world.
FEATURES
Since its inception, STU has achieved rapid progress in all aspects under the auspices of the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Three projects received grants under the Top-tier University Development Funding Program of Guangdong, and focusing on these three major projects, efforts have been made to promote the development of other disciplines. The program Clinical Medicine remains in the top 1% on a global list of programs based on ISE (Essential Science Indicators) data.
Since 2015, STU has been ranked within Nos. 601-800 in the “Times Higher Education World University Rankings” for three times, and has been twice ranked at top 1,000 in the CWUR (Center for World University Rankings) World University Rankings. In 2017, for the first time, STU entered the QS University Rankings Asia 2018, ranking within Nos. 281-290 and No. 64 among 103 listed Chinese mainland universities. Also it was ranked for the first time at No. 1,055 in the US News Best Global Universities Ranking 2018 and No. 94 among 136 listed Chinese mainland universities. STU is also ranked 76th in Top Universities in China 2019 by QS.
The University has strengthened international collaboration and academic exchange, establishing close cooperative academic communications with 69 institutions in 17 countries and regions including U.S.A., UK, Canada and Ireland, and set up undergraduate and postgraduate student exchange programs. In December 2016, the MOE approved the formal establishment of Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, an institution of higher learning in Shantou jointly established by Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Shantou University.
Keeping abreast of the educational development trend of the country, and continuing to play the role of “a pilot site for higher educational reform”, Shantou University embarks on a series of comprehensive educational reforms that focus on the “Advanced Undergraduate Education based on Integrative Thinking”. Through these reforms, the University is striving hard to become a top-tier university that values innovation, creation and entrepreneurship, and develops quality education, advanced governance mechanism and unique feature of internationalization. It is always ready to meet the major demands of the nation and Guangdong province for economic and social development.
