Yantai University

Yantai University was founded in 1984 by Peking University and Tsinghua University, both of which continue to support its development. It formally began admitting students in 1985 and was authorized to award master’s degrees in 1998. It received approval to train doctoral students serving special national needs in 2012, to admit and train postdoctoral researchers under special national needs projects in 2020, and to award doctoral degrees in 2024. It is a key comprehensive university administered by Shandong Province and was among the first institutions supported under Shandong’s Renowned Universities Project. In 2020, it joined Shandong’s high-level university and discipline initiative in the Strong Distinctive Characteristics category. Law and Pharmacy were selected for Shandong’s advantageous and distinctive discipline initiative. Seven disciplines rank in the ESI global top 1%: Chemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Engineering, Materials Science, Agricultural Sciences, Environment and Ecology, and Plant and Animal Science.

It has 23 schools, 66 research institutes, 3 first-level disciplines authorized to award doctoral degrees, 25 authorized to award master’s degrees, 16 professional master’s degree categories, and 64 undergraduate programs. These cover 10 categories: literature, science, engineering, law, agriculture, medicine, economics, management, education and art. It has a total of 30000 full-time undergraduates, master’s and doctoral students and international students, plus 30000 adult higher education students, with students from 30 mainland provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

It is located in Yantai, a national historical and cultural city and one of China’s most charming cities. Its 3 campuses—Main, South and Bajiaowan—cover 3000 mu. With the Yellow Sea to the east and green hills to the west, its campus has beautiful surroundings and a pleasant climate. It is China’s coastal university closest to the sea and has the country’s longest university coastline. It has 3 modern libraries—Chengxian, Shaw and Bajiaowan—with comprehensive functions, advanced facilities and elegant environments, covering 64600 square meters in total. Their collections include 2.625 million books, over 20000 Chinese and foreign electronic journal titles, and more than one hundred online electronic databases. A kilometer-long cultural and arts corridor and landmarks including the Devoted Ox, Eight Views Garden, Sanyuan Lake, Yanyu Pavilion, clock tower and “Rising” sculpture are found throughout campus. Its honors include Shandong Civilized Campus, Shandong Demonstration University for Party Building, Shandong Advanced Institution in Enterprise-University Joint Development, Shandong Model Safe Campus, and Shandong Demonstration School for the Inheritance of Fine Traditional Chinese Culture.

Yantai University has consistently valued international academic exchange and friendly relations. It has partnerships with more than 180 universities and academic institutions in 37 countries and regions. It operates 1 Sino-foreign joint education institution and 3 undergraduate joint programs with universities in Germany, the United States, South Korea and Italy. It offers inter-university exchanges and joint undergraduate, master’s and doctoral training with more than 80 partner institutions in countries including the United States, Switzerland and Germany and in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Its overseas study programs have sent thousands of students to South Korea and other countries. It was among the first universities nationally approved to receive international students and invite foreign cultural and educational experts. Dozens of foreign teachers, including academicians, work here, and it has educated over ten thousand international students from more than 40 countries. It is a Shandong Chinese Language and Culture Education Base and a test center for HSK, TOPIK, Cambridge Business English Certificates (BEC) and Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE). It values country and regional studies and has established institutions including the Center for Nordic Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies, and China-Korea (Yantai) Industrial Park Development Research Center.

International students from all countries are welcome to study at Yantai University!