Prospectus for International Students

One of the most prestigious comprehensive universities administered by China’s Ministry of Education

A university supported by the national “211 Project” and “985 Project”

1. “Strength of the South”

Xiamen University (XMU), founded in 1921 by Tan KahKee, therenowned patriotic leader of overseas Chinese, was the first Chinese higher-education institutionestablished by an overseas Chinese. XMU is the only universityin China’s Special Economic Zones that enjoys privileged support from both the national “211 Project” and the “985 Project”. The University is on track to become a world-renowned research university and is committed to creating an internationalized academic environment and campus culture. XMU is recognized as a first-class national institution of higher learning with an international reputation as a centre of scholarly excellence.

2. Garden-like campuses

XMU campuses are situated around the Xiamen Bay on the edge of the Taiwan Strait, withbreathtakingviews of undulating green hills and vast expanses of seawaters. They rank among the world’s most beautiful campuses. Located on the southern tip of Xiamen Island, the Siming Campus lies in close proximity to several places of interest and is adjacent to a sandy beach. The newly-built Xiang’an Campus is situated in Xiamen’sXiang’an District, bounded by the Xiangshan Scenic Area on the north and the sea on the south. XMU campuses resemble beautiful gardens, with serene lakes, lush foliage and magnificent buildings of KahKee architectural styles. The Xiang’an Campus houses the School of Life Sciences, the School of Medicine, the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the School of Public Health, the College of Oceanography and Earth Sciences, the College of Environment and Ecology, the College of Energy, the Overseas Education College, and the Southern Base of Confucius Institute Headquarters.

XMU’s Malaysia campus is expected to receive 500 students in its first intake in the autumn of 2015. The majority of the students will come from Malaysia, China and other countries (especially other ASEAN nations). In the first phase, five colleges will be up and running, including the College of Information Science and Technology, the College of Ocean and the Environment, the College of Economics and Management, the College of Chinese Language and Culture, and the School of Medicine. As the first overseas campus operated by a top-ranking Chinese university and the first campus in Malaysia built by a Chinese university, the Malaysia campus marks a significant step of XMU towards internationalization.

3. Highly professional faculty and well-established disciplines

XMU implements a strategy of strengthening itself through human resources development. The University has recruited a large number of top-notch professors, many of whom are prominent scientists and leading scholars. XMU currently has 2,678 faculty members, of whom 1,918 or 71.6% hold doctoral degrees and 1,023 or 38.2% have at least one year’s experience of overseas study and work. XMU affords high priority to the diversification and internationalization of the mix of its faculty. Of the 127 full-time faculty members recruited in 2013, 39 hold doctoral degrees from overseas universities. XMU offers a comprehensive range of programs in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology, management, medicine, andthe arts.

4. International exchange and cooperation

XMU is becoming increasingly internationalized and is actively engaged in multilateral and global cooperation. The University has established partnerships with over 270 higher-learning institutions around the world. It also actively participates in exchange programmes and collaborative research projects, and regularly hosts international academic conferences. XMU co-builds 15 Confucius Institutes globally and plays an active role on multilateral cooperation platforms, such as the Global Engineering Education Exchange (GE3), the Global U8 Consortium, the EU’s Erasmus Mundus, the ASEAN University Network, and the Yellow Sea Rim University Group. XMU has hosted a wide variety of events, such as the San Diego State University Day, the Southampton University Day, and the China-Japan University Presidents Forum. It has also staged Xiamen University Day events at its partneruniversities.Students during their studies at XMU have an opportunity to participate in academic exchange programmes or pursue further studies at world-renowned universities.

5. Affordable study expenses

The tuition fee and cost of living at XMU are relatively low compared with most of the other prestigious universities in China and beyond. A good variety of scholarships are available to international students, including Chinese Government Scholarships, Confucius Institute Scholarships, Confucius China Study Plan Scholarships, Fujian Provincial Government Scholarships, and Xiamen University Scholarships. Full scholarships cover tuition, accommodation, food, healthcare and insurance costs, while partial scholarships cover one or several items under full scholarships.

6. Accommodation and food

The international student apartments on campus are set in picturesque surroundings and enjoy sea views and fresh sea air. The dorms are equipped with modern facilities and the Overseas Student Service Centre provides attentive services. Overseas students can also choose to dine in any of the 10 canteens on campus that serve a wide variety of cuisines.

7. First-class facilities

XMU boast a comprehensive range of teaching and research facilities and an efficient public service system. The University’s library holds a collection of over four million volumes and 37,330 gigabytes of e-books. Furthermore, the University’s high-speed information network is among the most sophisticated in China. The XMU Knowledge Resource Portal offers students access to an enormous body of literature online. Through the library, students can visit other renowned universities’ libraries in China and beyond. XMU provides students with a comprehensive range of sports and cultural facilities, including football pitches, tennis courts, badminton courts, swimming pools, a golf driving range, piano rooms, and concert halls.

8. Student-oriented care

International students can truly feel the care of the university as if they were in their home countries. There is a fortnightly breakfast with the university president, during which the president will seek students’ feedback. Regularly held language saloons include the Chinese corner, the English corner, and the French corner. The Chinese Bridge Contest, the Xiamen International Marathon Race and the XMU Foreign Karaoke Contest are among the most popular competitions on campus for international students. The University hosts celebrations for major holidaysobserved by international students, such as Christmas and the Water-splashing Festival. It is one of the unique sights on campus that a great many international students practice Tai Chi boxing and swordsby theFurong Lake.