Xiamen University in the Fujian province of China was the first university in the country founded by an overseas Chinese leader – entrepreneur and industrialist Tan Kah Kee based in Singapore who set up the university in 1921.

The university is directly administered by the Chinese Ministry of Education and is highly rated nationally for subjects including journalism, chemistry and economics.

Many children of foreign diplomats attend the university, partly due to the high reputation and prevalence of foreign professors.

Out of the 40,000 full-time students on campus, more than 2,800 are international students. Chinese is taught in some programmes as a foreign language. The university collaborates with 270 other higher education institutions both in China and abroad.

In the 27 schools of the universities there are 76 departments and 10 research institutions. In total, 83 different undergraduate programmes, 276 master’s programmes and 187 PhD programmes are on offer.

The main campus is in the Siming District of Xiamen at the foothills of the mountains on Xiamen’s bay. Due to the landscape, and parks, the campus is a key tourist attraction in the area.

Aside from the main campus, the university also has campuses in Xiang’an and Zhangzhou. As of 2015, Xiamen University has a campus in Malaysia, the first Chinese university to set up a campus overseas.

University buildings and sites cover a total of 1.4 million square metres and the library system holds 4.48 million printed and electronic volumes.

Famous alumni of the university include eminent economists, mathematicians, inventors, writers and singers.

XMU, established in 1921 by renowned patriotic overseas Chinese leader Mr. Tan Kah Kee, is the first Chinese university founded by an overseas Chinese. The University is a comprehensive institution of higher education directly affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, and it has recently been chosen for inclusion in the Chinese Government’s Program of Building World-Class Universities and World-Class Disciplines.

Since its foundation, generation after generation of faculty and students have strived to fulfill Mr. Tan Kah Kee’s vision of “empowering the nation through education” and “building XMU into a world-class university”. Inspired by the University’s motto of “Pursuing Excellence and Striving for Perfection”, XMU is on track to become “a university that rivals the major institutions around the world” and “the pride of the nation” as envisioned by his founding father. With nearly a century of robust growth, XMU today is a nationally-ranked and internationally-recognized comprehensive university. Its long and proud tradition of scholarly excellence and its leadership in a broad range of disciplines have earned it a prestigious reputation as the “Strength of Southern China”.

Since its inception, XMU has produced more than 300,000 graduates, and over 60 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering have studied or worked at XMU. In recent years, in parallel with the steady rise of China’s national strength and international influence, XMU has advanced by leaps and bounds, approaching the world’s highest standard for academic disciplines, scientific research, and educational quality. The University was placed among the world’s top 400 institutions in various authoritative world university rankings, such as THE, QS, US News and ARWU and is expected to rise higher in the ranking charts on its way to world-class university status.

XMU comprises six faculties: Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medicine and Life Sciences, and Earth Sciences and Technology. These faculties consist of 28 colleges and schools and 14 institutes, with a total of 88 departments. The University boasts 53 first-level disciplines, 15 of which were ranked among the world’s top 1% by ESI. XMU has a full-time faculty of 2,657, 70.6% of whom are full and associate professors, and 81.1% are holders of doctorates. Currently, the University has a total enrollment of approximately 40,000 students, including 20,045 in bachelor’s, 16,172 in master’s and 3,647 in doctoral programs. Our graduates are among the most sought-after in the job market, with over 95% of them finding employment upon graduation. The University is spread over four campuses in Siming (430 acres), Zhangzhou (420 acres), Xiang'an (600 acres), and Malaysia (150 acres), covering a total area of nearly 1,600 acres.

From the very beginning, XMU set building a global university as its goal, dedicating itself to “advancing the frontiers of knowledge, cultivating professional talent, and expounding world cultures”. With a global vision, the University is committed to internationalization and open-ended education. Over the years, XMU has forged partnerships with nearly 300 higher-learning institutions in the U.K., the U.S., Japan, France, Russia, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and engaged in substantive cooperation with more than 50 of the world’s top 200 universities. Moreover, the University has operated 16 Confucius Institutes and 47 Confucius Classrooms in 13 countries and regions. In February 2016, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) welcomed its first cohort of students. As the first overseas campus set up by a renowned Chinese university, XMUM is acclaimed as a brilliant pearl on the 21st Century Marine Silk Road.

As one of the earliest institutions in China to offer courses to overseas students, XMU set up its Overseas Correspondence College back in 1956 and started enrolling international students in 1981. The University holds the distinction of conferring the first doctorates in oceanography and accounting upon international students in China. XMU hosts more than 3,400 international students from over 130 countries and regions around the world each year. They enjoy a world-class intellectual environment on a campus nestled snugly between the hills and the sea and known for its top-notch faculty and first-class facilities. They form a vibrant and essential part of the XMU community.

Xiamen, where XMU is situated, is the most dynamic harbor city on China’s southeastern coast and a recipient of the “UN-Habitat Scroll of Honor” Award and the International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom Awards). In September 2017, Xiamen hosted the 9th BRICS Summit, with XMU serving as the venue for a number of events. The city’s unique culture and customs, East-meet-West architecture, picturesque coastal scenery, and fresh air and blue skies, also add to XMU’s appeal as a top destination for students from around the world. XMU, established in 1921 by renowned patriotic overseas Chinese leader Mr. Tan Kah Kee, is the first Chinese university founded by an overseas Chinese. The University is a comprehensive institution of higher education directly affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, and it has recently been chosen for inclusion in the Chinese Government’s Program of Building World-Class Universities and World-Class Disciplines.

Since its foundation, generation after generation of faculty and students have strived to fulfill Mr. Tan Kah Kee’s vision of “empowering the nation through education” and “building XMU into a world-class university”. Inspired by the University’s motto of “Pursuing Excellence and Striving for Perfection”, XMU is on track to become “a university that rivals the major institutions around the world” and “the pride of the nation” as envisioned by his founding father. With nearly a century of robust growth, XMU today is a nationally-ranked and internationally-recognized comprehensive university. Its long and proud tradition of scholarly excellence and its leadership in a broad range of disciplines have earned it a prestigious reputation as the “Strength of Southern China”.

Since its inception, XMU has produced more than 300,000 graduates, and over 60 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering have studied or worked at XMU. In recent years, in parallel with the steady rise of China’s national strength and international influence, XMU has advanced by leaps and bounds, approaching the world’s highest standard for academic disciplines, scientific research, and educational quality. The University was placed among the world’s top 400 institutions in various authoritative world university rankings, such as THE, QS, US News and ARWU and is expected to rise higher in the ranking charts on its way to world-class university status.

XMU comprises six faculties: Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medicine and Life Sciences, and Earth Sciences and Technology. These faculties consist of 28 colleges and schools and 14 institutes, with a total of 88 departments. The University boasts 53 first-level disciplines, 15 of which were ranked among the world’s top 1% by ESI. XMU has a full-time faculty of 2,657, 70.6% of whom are full and associate professors, and 81.1% are holders of doctorates. Currently, the University has a total enrollment of approximately 40,000 students, including 20,045 in bachelor’s, 16,172 in master’s and 3,647 in doctoral programs. Our graduates are among the most sought-after in the job market, with over 95% of them finding employment upon graduation. The University is spread over four campuses in Siming (430 acres), Zhangzhou (420 acres), Xiang'an (600 acres), and Malaysia (150 acres), covering a total area of nearly 1,600 acres.

From the very beginning, XMU set building a global university as its goal, dedicating itself to “advancing the frontiers of knowledge, cultivating professional talent, and expounding world cultures”. With a global vision, the University is committed to internationalization and open-ended education. Over the years, XMU has forged partnerships with nearly 300 higher-learning institutions in the U.K., the U.S., Japan, France, Russia, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and engaged in substantive cooperation with more than 50 of the world’s top 200 universities. Moreover, the University has operated 16 Confucius Institutes and 47 Confucius Classrooms in 13 countries and regions. In February 2016, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) welcomed its first cohort of students. As the first overseas campus set up by a renowned Chinese university, XMUM is acclaimed as a brilliant pearl on the 21st Century Marine Silk Road.

As one of the earliest institutions in China to offer courses to overseas students, XMU set up its Overseas Correspondence College back in 1956 and started enrolling international students in 1981. The University holds the distinction of conferring the first doctorates in oceanography and accounting upon international students in China. XMU hosts more than 3,400 international students from over 130 countries and regions around the world each year. They enjoy a world-class intellectual environment on a campus nestled snugly between the hills and the sea and known for its top-notch faculty and first-class facilities. They form a vibrant and essential part of the XMU community.

Xiamen, where XMU is situated, is the most dynamic harbor city on China’s southeastern coast and a recipient of the “UN-Habitat Scroll of Honor” Award and the International Awards for Liveable Communities (LivCom Awards). In September 2017, Xiamen hosted the 9th BRICS Summit, with XMU serving as the venue for a number of events. The city’s unique culture and customs, East-meet-West architecture, picturesque coastal scenery, and fresh air and blue skies, also add to XMU’s appeal as a top destination for students from around the world.