Founded in Shanghai in 1925, but permanently located in Chengdhu, Sichuan province since 1952, the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is run by the national Ministry of Education, which rates it as a Double First Class Discipline University.

It took its current name in 1985, describes itself as a "top university specialised in finance, economics and business" and takes pride in being "known for its entrepreneurial character".

In 2018 it enrolled around 24,000 students, one third of them postgraduates, on two campuses in Chengdhu. The 47-hectare Guanghua campus dates back to Southwestern University of Finance and Economics’ eight-year wartime evacuation to Chengdhu from 1938 and the 107-hectare Luilin site in Wenjiang district to 2004.

It is a member of China’s two main academic modernisation drives, Project 211 and the 985 Innovative Platforms project which launched in 2011.

It is ranked among the best universities in the country in its main disciplines – rated 6th in applied economics, 12th in management and 13th in theoretical economics in the most recent Ministry of Education rankings. New majors in actuarial science, data science and big data technology were added in 2018.

It is home to 26 research centres and six thinktanks and has hosted the Chinese Household Finance Survey since 2010. The library is the largest in South-West China.

The first overseas students were admitted in 1996 with numbers rising to around 600 in 2018, while more than 100 students have studied at Oklahoma State University.
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is a top university specialised in finance, Economics and business. It is known for its entrepreneurial character and unremitting endeavours to address the needs of the people and society through academics, research and influence of alumni, drawn from legacy of its founders and generations of excellent alumni. SWUFE is located in Chengdu, the enginecity for development of western China and the fourth largest aviation hub in China.

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is a key national university under direct administration of the Ministry of Education and is listed in both “Project 211”and “985 Innovative Platforms". Founded in 1925 as Kwang Hua University, SWUFE has been shouldering its responsibilities to rejuvenating the nation through research and academic endeavours. While recognising the strength of its heritage and traditions, SWUFE is striding into an era of rapid development to be a differentiated, research-led and finance-oriented institution of higher learning that reflects and addresses the needs of an ever-changing, knowledge-based world. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics is a top university specialised in finance, Economics and business. It is known for its entrepreneurial character and unremitting endeavours to address the needs of the people and society through academics, research and influence of alumni, drawn from legacy of its founders and generations of excellent alumni. SWUFE is located in Chengdu, the engine city for development of western China and the fourth largest aviation hub in China.
The university has 27 schools, colleges, and institutes with 33 undergraduate majors. SWUFE has approximately 24,000 students of which are 16,000 registered full-time undergraduate students. SWUFE is one of the earliest universities to offers graduate programs following the education reforms in the 1970s. The university has around 8,000 graduate students, of which there are roundabout 6,000 Master degree candidates and 900 doctoral degree candidates. SWUFE currently has around 600 international students and 140,000+ alumni. The university employs 2000+ faculty members of which are approximately 250 professors, 490 associate professors, and 260 doctor supervisors. SWUFE was the first institution authorized to grant MBA and CPA credentials in Southwestern China. It offers 4 national key second-rate disciplines and 4 post-doctoral research centers. Marketing, Economics, Finance, Financial Management, Statistics, Insurance, law, Human Resource Management at SWUFE are in the national ranking marked feature majors.