Sichuan University Introduction

As one of the national key universities directly under the State Ministry of Education (MOE) as well as one of the State “211 Project” and '985 Project” universities enjoying privileged construction in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the present Sichuan University (SCU) was first incorporated in April, 1994 with Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), then a national key university under the MOE, and then reincorporated again in Sept, 2000 with the West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS), a key university directly subordinate to the State Ministry of Health in 2000. The former Sichuan University was one of the earliest institutes of higher learning in China, with a history dating back to Sichuan Zhong-Xi Xuetang (Sichuan Chinese and Western School), established in 1896. The predecessor of CUST is Chengdu Engineering College, set up in 1954 as the result of the nation-wide college and department adjustment. WCUMS originated from the private Huaxi Xiehe University (West China Union University), established in 1910 by five Christian missionary groups from U.S.A., UK and Canada.

Over the course of its long history, SCU has acquired a profound cultural background and a solid foundation in its operation. The university motto of “The sea is made great by accepting hundreds of rivers”, and university spirit of “rigorousness, diligence, truth-seeking, and innovation” are at the core of SCU’s raison d’etre. At present, Sichuan University is a first class comprehensive research university in Western China. The University has established 30 Colleges, a College of Graduate Studies, a School of Overseas Education and two independent colleges, Jin Cheng and Jin Jiang College. These colleges cover 11 areas of study including: Humanities, Science, Medical, Economics, Management, Law, History, Philosophy, Agriculture, and Education. At Sichuan University there are 37 key disciplines at the national level, 66 key disciplines at the provincial level, 27 first class Ph.D. disciplines as well as 213 other P.h.D. disciplines, 330 Master’s Degree disciplines, 8 specialized degree programs, 121 Undergraduate disciplines, 26 post-doctorate interim-positions, 6 National Innovative Training Bases for Scientific Research and Curriculum Study, and a National Base for the Education of University Students in Culture and Ethics.

To achieve the goal of turning Sichuan University into a world class comprehensive research university, SCU has implemented a new concept of “putting people first, valuing academic research, and pursuing excellence” while targeting “cultivating students into social elites with profound cultural knowledge, solid specialized foundation, strong sense of innovation, and broad global vision”. The student population consists of 38,000 undergraduates, 20,000 postgraduates, 1,400 international students, and 200 students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

SCU has fostered co-operative ties with more than 150 world renowned universities, educational organizations and foundations from 42 countries and regions. It has co-established with them such platforms for high-level academic exchanges as “Sino-US Institute for University Design”, “Jiuzhaigou International Laboratory for Ecology, Environment, and Sustainability”, “Sino-German Institute for Energy Research”, and “Western China Poverty-Alleviation International Research Center”, and other international level co-operative platforms. SCU is a member of the “10+10” alliance consisting of the 10 campuses in the University of California system and 10 Chinese Universities. Moreover, it is also co-training students with universities such as the University of Washington, Nottingham University, and Monash University in forms of “2+2”, “3+1”, and “2+1+1”, in order to enhance its international competitiveness.