South China University of Technology (SCUT) is one of the leading universities in China, with its establishment directly affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Education. Located in the city of Guangzhou, a thriving metropolis in South China, it today covers a total area of 294 hectares, consisting of two campuses: the Wushan Campus and the University Town Campus.
The university was formerly known as South China Institute of Technology, which was first founded in 1952 by merging the engineering schools and departments of a number of major universities and polytechnics from five provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi.
The reorganization, at the time, brought engineering faculties with the strongest academic strengths in central and southern China to assemble in Guangzhou. The predecessors of this new institute shared long histories in developing modern higher education and scientific research, especially in training talents of engineering and technology. The outstanding tradition traced back to the early 20th century, when the Chinese modern thoughts of democracy and science were emerging and developing in its particular style in Guangdong province.
In 1960, the institute was selected by the state as a Key Institution of Higher Learning. In 1981, it was authorized by the State Council as one of the first institutions in the country to confer doctoral degrees and master degrees.
In 1988, South China Institute of Technology was renamed as South China University of Technology.
In 1995, SCUT was listed in “Project 211”, which is a Chinese national endeavor aimed at strengthening top institutions of higher learning as a national priority for the 21st century. Then in 2001, the university was approved to be a member of “Project 985”, which is the country's most significant education project for funding world-class universities.
During the Undergraduate Teaching Assessment held by the state in 1999, SCUT was rated as the Excellent Level, which was among the first universities in the country to win such an honor. In the same year, authorized by the State Ministry of Technology and the State Ministry of Education, a national university science park was established.
After over 60 years of development, SCUT has become a multi-disciplinary university, merging science, engineering, business management, arts and social science, medicine and other disciplines into one integration. Since its founding, it has educated over 350,000 graduates at all levels. Large numbers of SCUT alumni have made major contributions to the country and the world, especially in fields of economy, technology, management and education.
Acting to take a more vigorous and efficient role in the process of global education, SCUT has established connections and cooperations with over 50 overseas universities. These programs are committed to multiple forms of collaborative efforts aiming at promoting student training and scientific research. Currently, there are international students from more than 100 countries studying in the SCUT campuses.Most of them take courses in Chinese language and culture, natural science, engineering, and business management.
Entering a new phase of the university’s history, the faculty will continue to take talent cultivation as the ultimate goal on its agenda. Considering the importance of people as the fundamental element of education, the university always sees the academy as its foundation, talents as its strength, open minds as its vitality, and culture as the energy to thrive and last. All these efforts are building SCUT as a top-ranking university in the country and a renowned world-class institution.
