Address: No. 59 Zhongguancun Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100872, China
Economics, Law, Business, Public Administration, Journalism, Statistics, Humanities, Social Sciences
Renmin University of China was founded in 1937 as Shanbei Public School, set up by the Chinese Communist Party. It was merged with other institutions into Renmin University in 1950, and in 1954 it was named one of six national key universities. Its name means the people’s university, and its profile has remained centred on the humanities and the social sciences.
The main campus stands at No. 59 Zhongguancun Street in the Haidian District of Beijing, in the university district of the capital. A secondary campus operates in the Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu, and a new eastern campus is under construction in Lucheng, in the Tongzhou District. The library holds about 2.5 million items.
The figures given for September 2019 count 27,810 students, including 11,336 undergraduates and 10,505 postgraduates, and the categories do not add up to the total, so some groups appear to be omitted. The faculty counted 1,887 people. About 1,165 international students attended. The structure includes 25 schools, 13 research institutes and a graduate school. The university offers 63 undergraduate specialties, 149 master specialties and 100 doctoral specialties, and it holds 33 national key disciplines.
The list of people linked to the university is full of public figures. It includes Liu He, Vice Premier and member of the Politburo, Liu Yandong, a former member of the Politburo, and Ma Kai, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission from 2003 to 2008. Xiao Yang is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court. Xie Feng is a former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and the present ambassador to the United States. The record does not state for each name whether the person is an alumnus or a faculty member.
Business leaders also appear: Duan Yongping, the founder of Subor and BBK, Liu Qiangdong, the founder and president of JD.com, and Zhang Lei, the founder of Hillhouse Capital. The writer Zhang Jie graduated in 1960. The Olympic gold medallists Wang Junxia and Wu Minxia are on the list. Fees depend on the programme and the status of the student. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Data Analytics, Finance, Mathematics, Project Management, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Main campus in Haidian District Beijing, secondary campus in Suzhou Industrial Park, 13 research institutes.
Research:
Economics, law, business, public administration, journalism, statistics and the humanities.
Famous Alumnis:
Liu He, Liu Yandong, Ma Kai, Xiao Yang, Xie Feng, Duan Yongping, Liu Qiangdong, Zhang Lei, Zhang Jie, Wang Junxia, Wu Minxia
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1887
Current students***:
27810
Foreign students***:
4%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading Chinese university in humanities and social sciences, 25 schools, 33 national key disciplines, Beijing location.
Cons
Strong specialisation in social sciences, teaching mainly in Chinese, competitive entry.
Best For
Students interested in economics, law, business and the social sciences in Beijing.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Zhengzhou University works in much the same fields, chiefly statistics, mathematics and data analytics, and it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers civil engineering and chemistry as well.
Think of University of Science and Technology Beijing when mathematics and data analytics is the priority: it has almost the same size, at about 27,311 students, and is also a public institution.
Both schools build their programmes around finance and data analytics, and Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is the one to compare first within the country, since it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers robotics and electrical and electronics as well.
Soochow University is the closest domestic counterpart for mathematics and data analytics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers nanotechnologies and chemistry as well.
Among national alternatives, Yunnan University stands out for its focus on mathematics and data analytics, and it has almost the same size, at about 31,141 students, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
London School of Economics and Political Science brings a the United Kingdom setting to the same core fields, finance, project management and statistics, and it is smaller, enrolling about 12,950 students against roughly 27,810 here, and is also a public institution.
Toulouse Capitole University offers an international parallel to this university, with finance, statistics and mathematics as common ground; it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Georgetown University, based in the United States, is built around finance, project management and statistics much like this university, and it is slightly smaller, at about 20,031 students against roughly 27,810 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Italy) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly finance, statistics and mathematics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers agriculture and food science as well.
Seen from abroad, Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) is a close relative on subject matter, since finance, statistics and data analytics are central to both, and it is smaller, enrolling about 12,558 students against roughly 27,810 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Renmin University of China?
At No. 59 Zhongguancun Street, in the Haidian District of Beijing.
When was it founded?
In 1937, as Shanbei Public School.
When did it become Renmin University?
In 1950, after a merger with other institutions.
Does it have another campus?
Yes, in the Suzhou Industrial Park, Jiangsu.
How many schools does it have?
25.
How many research institutes does it have?
13.
How many national key disciplines does it hold?
33.
How many international students did it have in 2019?
About 1,165.
Which fields is it known for?
The humanities and the social sciences.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the programme and the status of the student. Check the current tariff.
Innovation, Project Management, Quality Management, Research and Development, Sustainability
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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