Southeast University (SEU) is a national key university in Nanjing directly administered by the Ministry of Education of China and co-built with Jiangsu Province. It belongs to the 985 and 211 projects and since 2017 is a Class A university of the Double First-Class initiative. SEU is a comprehensive research university with a strong engineering profile: architecture, civil engineering, transportation, electronics, communications, computer science and biomedical engineering are among its leading fields. International students are admitted to Chinese- and English-taught bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes and to Chinese language courses.

SEU in numbers

• No. =335 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, No. 89 in ARWU 2026 (first time in the world top 100) and No. 15 in the Best Chinese Universities Ranking 2026.

• 12 Double First-Class disciplines, 8th in China; 18 disciplines in the ESI global top 1%, Engineering 13th and Computer Science 5th worldwide.

• 3,070 full-time faculty, 19 academicians of the Chinese Academies of Sciences and Engineering.

• 43,651 full-time students: 17,277 undergraduates and 26,256 postgraduates; 2,381 international students from over 100 countries, 1,688 of them degree students.

Programmes for international students

• Bachelor's: 64 Chinese-taught and 6 English-taught programmes (architecture, urban planning, civil and transportation engineering, international economics and trade, clinical medicine MBBS).

• Master's: 64 Chinese-taught and 21 English-taught programmes, including two fully funded YES-China programmes for professionals from Belt and Road countries.

• PhD: 67 Chinese-taught and 40 English-taught specialities, 4 years.

• Foundation 1+4: one-year pre-university programme in Chinese with intensive language and subject courses, then a Chinese-taught bachelor's.

• Chinese language courses: one semester or longer, starting in March and September.

Tuition fees (2027 intake)

Other fees: application fee RMB 800 (non-refundable), insurance RMB 800 per year, accommodation RMB 9,000 per year for one bed in a double room.

Application periods (2027 intake)

Language and age requirements

• Chinese-taught programmes: HSK 4 with at least 200 points; HSK 5 (200+) for medicine, economics and management, humanities and International Chinese Language Education.

• English-taught programmes: TOEFL 80, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 100; applicants from countries where English is an official or native language are exempt. Some programmes may set higher requirements.

• HSK is also a graduation requirement: HSK 5 for Chinese-taught and HSK 4 for English-taught bachelor's; HSK 5 for Chinese-taught and HSK 3 for English-taught master's.

• Age: bachelor's from 18 with a completed secondary education; master's under 35 with a bachelor's degree; PhD under 40 with a master's degree; YES-China programmes under 45 with at least 3 years of relevant work experience.

CSCA for bachelor's applicants

All bachelor's applicants submit an official CSCA (Chinese Scholastic Competence Assessment) score report. The required subjects depend on the major:

Selection process

• Admission is based on document review, written examinations and interviews, with an overall assessment of each applicant.

• Stages: initial review, payment of the application fee, academic review by the school, final result. Applicants who pass all reviews may be nominated for the Chinese Government Scholarship or other scholarships.

• Each applicant chooses only one track: Chinese Government Scholarship, SEU Scholarship or self-funded; duplicate applications are not reviewed. Self-funded applicants confirm their place by paying the first-year tuition (bachelor's) or tuition and accommodation (master's and PhD).

• Registration is from late August to early September 2027; students enter China on an X1 student visa issued on the basis of the admission notice and the JW201/JW202 form.

Three campuses in Nanjing

SEU has three main campuses, Jiulonghu, Sipailou and Dingjiaqiao, with a total area of about 392 hectares, plus SEU Wuxi and the SEU Suzhou Research Institute.

• Jiulonghu: the main campus since 2006, 251.4 hectares in the Jiangning Development Zone in southern Nanjing; home to most schools, the College of International Students and the Li Wenzheng Library.
• Sipailou: the historic campus in the centre of Nanjing, site of the former National Central University, listed among China's 20th-century architectural heritage; used by senior undergraduates and research institutes.
• Dingjiaqiao: the medical campus by Xuanwu Lake with the Medical School and the affiliated Zhongda Hospital.

International student dormitories

Rooms are double: RMB 9,000 per year for one bed in a double room. Each room has its own bathroom, water heater and air conditioning; shared laundry rooms are in the buildings. Students of the opposite sex do not share rooms.

• Long-term students pay the dormitory fee for the whole year in one payment before check-in; water and electricity are paid separately.
• Cooking in rooms is not allowed; students eat in campus canteens, which cost about RMB 800–2,000 a month.
• Students who want to live off campus must apply to the International Students' Office, usually at the start of the academic year.

Scholarships for international students

Admitted applicants can compete for several scholarships; the most competitive receive the most favourable awards. Full scholarships cover tuition, accommodation, a living allowance and medical insurance; partial ones waive part of the tuition.

• CSC Type B for postgraduates: High-level Graduate Program (November 2026 – February 2027) and Silk Road Program (March – May 2027); full funding of tuition, accommodation, living allowance and insurance.
• CSC Type A YES-China: two fully funded English-taught master's programmes for professionals from Belt and Road countries.
• Southeast University Scholarship: two batches (November 2026 – February 2027 and March – May 2027); ranges from a full award with tuition waiver and monthly allowance to a partial tuition waiver.
• Enterprise-funded scholarships are also offered.

History

SEU traces its history to Sanjiang Normal School, founded in Nanjing in 1902. It later became Liangjiang Normal School, Nanjing Higher Normal School, National Southeast University and National Central University, one of China's leading universities before 1949. In 1952 the engineering faculties formed the Nanjing Institute of Technology, which was renamed Southeast University in May 1988. In 2000 it merged with Nanjing Railway Medical College, Nanjing Institute of Transportation Technology and Nanjing Geological School. The university motto is Strive for Perfection.

• 1927: the first architecture programme in modern Chinese higher education was founded here.
• 2006: the headquarters moved to the new Jiulonghu campus.
• 2017: included in the Class A list of the Double First-Class initiative.

Rankings

• ESI: 18 disciplines in the global top 1%; Engineering 13th and Computer Science 5th worldwide (top 0.01%), Materials Science and Chemistry in the top 0.1%.
• ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects: Telecommunication Engineering 1st, Civil Engineering 2nd, Control Science, Instrument Science and Transportation Science 4th in the world.
• In China: Architecture ranks 1st (ShanghaiRanking 2026); 12 Double First-Class disciplines, 8th in the country.

International cooperation

SEU is one of China's most active universities in international exchange. By the end of 2025 it had partnerships with more than 60 world-class universities and research institutions in about 20 countries and regions.

• SEU-Monash Joint Graduate School in Suzhou, the first Sino-foreign joint graduate school in China.
• Led the founding of the China-UK University Alliance for Engineering Education and Research, the first of its kind, and initiated the Global University Alliance for Carbon Neutrality.
• 24 international joint research platforms in architecture, communications, biomedical science, zero-carbon energy and intelligent manufacturing.
• About 2,400 international students from more than 100 countries; Confucius Institute at the Belarusian State University of Foreign Languages.

Нанкин — историческая столица Китая с богатым наследием (городская стена, мавзолей Сунь Ятсена, Мемориал жертвам Нанкинской резни, гора Пурпурная). Город сочетает древнюю историю с современным развитием: здесь множество музеев, парков и оживлённых улиц. Для иностранных студентов — комфортные кампусы, высокая безопасность, отличный общественный транспорт (метро, высокоскоростные поезда) и приятная атмосфера. Нанкин находится в провинции Цзянсу — одном из самых богатых и развитых регионов Китая. Климат умеренный континентальный: лето душное и влажное, зима прохладная с возможным снегом — подходит для тех, кто хочет баланса между культурным наследием, экономическим развитием и удобной городской жизнью.