Xiamen University is a very good option if you are a western college or high school student thinking of studying in China.

The university is colloquially referred to as ‘Xia Da’. However, when it was originally founded by Tan Kah Kee, it was named Amoy University. It was founded mainly with donations from the overseas. Just like universities in US and the UK,  Xiamen is a multi-disciplinary university, with a very pleasant learning environment.

The website (www.xmu.edu.cn) is a useful information portal for international students and people who can’t visit the school physically. For those want to visit, the address is 422 Xiang’an Road, Xiamen, Fujian province, 361005. Otherwise, you can call with any questions or to get directions: +86 592 218 0000.

Ranking

In the Asian region the university is ranked #37. The national wide, or country rankings, positioned the university at #12. This ranking was based on factors such as the number of Doctorates awarded, extent of international collaboration, book holdings, global publications, research reputation and the global score.

Total number of students

Although the precise number of students enrolled each month is not available, due to discrepancies between sources, the school was estimated to have 38,000 students enrolled in 2011. Due to its standing in academic circles, the school has over 40,000 full-time students enrolled; 3,000 of these are overseas or international students. The institution was founded in 1921. Since then, more than 200,000 graduate and undergraduate students have received quality education here.

Total number of faculties

The school has 4,900 faculties operating on a full-time basis. There are over 2, 330 Professors and around 1,319 Associate Professors associated with these faculties. These staff contribute a great deal to Xiamen’s ranking and reputation. In recent years, the university has increasingly focused on consolidating academic groups, as well as attracting academic talent, to ensure innovative groups exist in conjunction with the education programs. The faculty to student ratio is 4,900: 40,000, which approximates to to 1:10. This means that in each faculty, a lecturer is expected to teach ten students per day.

Academic reputation

Xiamen University has created, and maintained, its reputation by creating 76 departments within its ten research institutes. Thanks to these departments, the university is able to offer 31 Doctoral degrees and 50 Master’s degrees in the first-class disciplines. The university also offers 83 undergraduate programs and 276 graduate programs and these are likely to increase in the near future. Over sixty CAE and CAS have either worked, or studied, at the university.

Employer reputation

The employer, who happens to be the founder of the institution, has a strong reputation. Tan Kah Kee rose from humble ethnic Chinese origins to prominence. He was a well-known entrepreneur, political activist and social reformer. He was also a community leader involved in setting up several education institutions. His legacy lives on after his death. People talk about him as being an ambitious person, who gave a great deal to society. Today, Xiamen University continues to attract overseas funding to ensure learning and research continue at a high standard.

Research specialties

The university has research centers at both the Ministry and Provincial levels. Research areas are: marine environmental research, vaccine development for infectious diseases and marine and underwater acoustic communication technology. Xiamen University also engages in research with the laboratory of tumor and biology cell engineering, the Ministry of Education’s analytical sciences and the Fujian research center, which focuses on medical molecular virology.

Extracurricular activities

The university encourages and supports students’ extracurricular activities. There are contests for Chinese students as well as international students where they can showcase their intercultural talents and celebrate diversity. There are state-of-the-art facilities for indoor and outdoor games, including martial arts.

Recent news

In May, the school participated in the annual cross-bait, performed on a dragon boat. This is one of the main cultural festivals and Xiamen University is always keen to participate. The two-day event attracted as many as 59 teams.

People who love the English language are also catered for. The June English speech contest saw 200 high-school students competing in the library. The Technology and New Oriental Education group sponsored the contest.

These are just two recent events Xiamen University has staged and there will be more to come.

The reputable university is as engaged and proactive as any other Chinese, US or UK university, and great opportunities are offered to advance your studies in one of China’s best. Xiamen University actively strives to enable students to discover and cultivate all their talents, so they can grow into the future.

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