Established as Beijing Petroleum Institute in 1953 following a newfound and pressing need for greater petroleum resources and oil industry manpower, China University of Petroleum is among a number of so called "oil universities" in the country.

Now composed of two institutions, one in Beijing and the other split between the coastal city of Qingdao, and Dongying, in the Yellow River Delta, CUP is a vital hub for the oil and petrochemical industry.

The Beijing campus is north east of the city centre and 24km from the Great Wall of China. Beijing is the political and cultural centre of China, famed for its historic sights, from the Wall itself to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, but also its modernity and plethora of new buildings designed by leading architects, plus its vast array of restaurants - it has more than 60,000.

Qingdao, also known as Tsingtao, combines history with modernity and rapid development, now a key financial and industrial centre as well as a famous sailing port. It enjoys a cooler climate in summer than many cities further inland and is home to the longest sea bridge on the planet, nearly 27 kilometres long. Petroleum is a key part of Dongying’s local economy, with the relatively small city also playing host to the Shengli Oil Field, the second biggest in China.

The Qingdao campus is more popular with international students, who enjoy dedicated boarding facilities and lectures about Chinese culture. CUP runs a particularly high number of master’s courses. As well as its College of Petroleum Engineering and other engineering provisions, CUP has a School of Business and College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.