Sichuan University (SCU) is one of the national key universities directly under the State Ministry of Education (MOE) in China and one of the State "211 Project" universities receiving privileged government support in the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. The University went through two mergers, first with Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST), another national key university under the MOE in1994, and then with West China University of Medical Sciences (WCUMS) in 2000, a key university directly subordinated to the State Ministry of Health.

Staff

SCU has a competent teaching force. It has a total staff of 11,357, among whom 1323 are professors, 2192 associate professors, 11 academicians of Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering, 434 tutors of doctor students, and 17 members of the Academic Degrees Committee and the Discipline Appraisal Group under the State Council. Besides, the university has 22 Cheung Kong Scholars.

Research

SCU has great potentiality in scientific research. There are in function 9 national key labs and national engineering centers, 5 ministerial (MOE) key labs, 45 provincial key labs, 10 ministerial and provincial centers, 4 key research bases for humanities and social sciences, and 4 clinical research bases at the national level. SCU has undertaken and completed a considerable number of national, ministerial and regional major research projects, and has made many achievements, which are rated first class in China and bear significant international influence. The total value of the equipment applied to teaching, scientific research and medical treatment amounts to about 530 million RMB yuan and the annual publications of research papers exceed 4,000. In 2008, the university was supported with a total of 1.02 billion RMB yuan for scientific research in social science, natural science, engineering and medicine.

Facilities

SCU enjoys favorable facilities. The University Library (with 3 sub-divisions), with about 6.99 million volumes, serves as the Collection Center for English Publications under the National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, MOE Information Center for Liberal Arts Literature and CALIS Southwest Sub-center, National University Scientific and Technological Projects and Achievements Consulting Center, and Center for Medical Literature Retrieval in Southwest China as well. The University Museum is the only one of its kind in China with a comprehensive collection of cultural relics over 40,000 pieces, and animal and plant specimens over 600,000 pieces, ranking first in its holdings among the others in China. The University Stadium is fully and sophisticatedly equipped and once served as the main field for the Sixth National Collegiate Sports Meet. Other sub-divisions available are Campus Web Center, Analytic and Testing Center, University Archive Establishment, University Press, National Foreign Language Examination Center, Intensive Language Training Center, 4 attached hospitals, and 1 attached health school. So far the university has published 42 academic periodicals to domestic and overseas subscribers.

As a major university for nurturing talented people and conducting scientific and cultural research, Sichuan University aims at pursuing constant creativity and preeminence, dedicating herself to China's construction and human progress. In the new century, we are quickening our pace for the internationalization of China's higher education, exerting ourselves to cooperate with institutions of higher education, scientific research all over the world as well as international investment institutions and major companies.

Campus

SCU is located in Chengdu, a culturally and historically noticeable city, adjacent to the Jinjiang River and its tributary Jiang'an River. The University consists of 3 Campuses of Wangjiang, Huaxi and Jiang'an, covering an area of over 7,000 Chinese mu (about 4.7 km2), with a total floorage of more than 2.7 million square meters. SCU is the ideal place for academic studies and researches with the campuses set in agreeable environments of green plants, lawns and trees.