Address: 127 West Youyi Road, 710072 Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
Aeronautics, Astronautics, Marine Science and Technology, Materials Science, Computer Science
Northwestern Polytechnical University traces its history to 1938, when several engineering schools moved to Shaanxi during the Japanese invasion and merged into the National Northwestern Engineering Institute in Hanzhong. The institute moved to Xianyang in 1946. Between 1952 and 1956 aeronautics departments from universities in Nanjing formed the East China Aeronautics Institute, which moved to Xi’an as the Xi’an Aeronautics Institute. In 1957 it merged with the Northwestern Engineering Institute, which created the present university.
In 1970 the aeronautical engineering department of a military institute in Harbin moved to Xi’an and joined it. The university became a National Key University in 1960, joined Project 211 and Project 985, and belongs to the Double First-Class Construction. It was founded with a focus on defence technology in aeronautics, astronautics and marine engineering.
The Youyi campus, the old campus, covers about 0.8 square kilometres in Beilin District of Xi’an. The Chang’an campus, the new campus, covers about 2.6 square kilometres in Chang’an District and is the main base for undergraduate education. A third campus at Taicang, in Suzhou, Jiangsu, covers about 1.18 square kilometres.
The university has 28,131 students, among them 14,395 undergraduates and 13,736 postgraduates, about 5,000 of them doctoral students, and about 3,600 academic staff. Fifteen schools teach, including aeronautics, astronautics, marine science and technology, materials science and engineering, computer science and technology, and life science. It also has an honours college, the independent Mingde College and a joint school with Queen Mary University of London. It offers 58 undergraduate, 117 master’s, 67 doctoral and 14 postdoctoral programmes.
NPU ranked first in aeronautical and astronautical science and technology in the third discipline evaluation of the Ministry of Education. It hosts State Key Laboratories for airfoil and cascade aerodynamics, solid rocket motor combustion and thermal structures, special UAV technology and space flight dynamics, and counts seven State Key Laboratories and 28 key laboratories at province or ministry level. Alumni include Wu Yi, former Vice Premier, Yang Wei, president of Zhejiang University and an aircraft designer, and Zhao Chunling, lead designer of the COMAC C929 airliner. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in Chinese.
Joint school with Queen Mary University of London, State Key Laboratories for aerodynamics, rocket motors, UAVs and space flight dynamics.
Research:
Aeronautics, astronautics, marine engineering, materials science, computer science, life science, with 7 State Key Laboratories and 28 province or ministry level key laboratories.
Famous Alumnis:
Wu Yi, Yang Wei, Yuan-Cheng Fung, Zhao Chunling, Jasen Wang
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3600
Current students***:
28131
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading Chinese university in aerospace engineering, first in its national discipline evaluation, many key laboratories, three campuses.
Cons
Strongly defence-oriented profile, teaching mainly in Chinese, competitive national admission.
Best For
Students aiming at aerospace, aeronautical and marine engineering at a leading Chinese technical university.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
In terms of fields, Qingdao University is the nearest neighbour, with marine science, mechanical engineering and materials again at the core; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers chemistry and life sciences as well.
Where this institution leans on mechanical engineering, materials and software engineering, Nanchang University does the same, and it also offers mba programmes and covers food science and chemistry as well.
On content, Ningbo University and this institution are close, as both teach marine science, mechanical engineering and materials; it has almost the same size, at about 25,000 students, and is also a public institution.
In terms of fields, University of Science and Technology Beijing is the nearest neighbour, with automation, mechanical engineering and materials again at the core; it covers chemical engineering and physics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 27,311 students.
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics follows much the same lines as this university, with aerospace, robotics and automation as common ground, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Bauman Moscow State Technical University brings a Russia setting to the same core fields, aerospace, robotics and automation, and it is slightly smaller, at about 22,000 students against roughly 28,131 here, and is also a public institution.
Moscow Aviation Institute brings a Russia setting to the same core fields, aerospace, robotics and automation, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
If this university is on your list for aerospace, robotics and automation, National Aerospace University Kharkiv Aviation Institute in Ukraine deserves a comparison, because it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is far smaller, with about 7,000 students against roughly 28,131 here.
University of Limerick offers an international parallel to this institution, with aerospace, robotics and mechanical engineering as common ground; it covers manufacturing and electrical and electronics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 17,500 students against roughly 28,131 here.
*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 Northwestern Polytechnical University?
In Xi'an, Shaanxi, with campuses at Youyi, Chang'an and Taicang in Suzhou.
When was it formed?
In 1957, by the merger of the Xi'an Aeronautics Institute and the Northwestern Engineering Institute, whose roots go back to 1938.
What is it known for?
Aeronautics, astronautics and marine engineering.
How many students does it have?
28,131, including 14,395 undergraduates and 13,736 postgraduates.
How many academic staff does it have?
About 3,600.
How many schools does it have?
Fifteen, plus an honours college and a joint school with Queen Mary University of London.
Which campus is for undergraduates?
The Chang'an campus, the new campus.
How does it rank nationally in aerospace?
First in aeronautical and astronautical science and technology in the Ministry of Education's third discipline evaluation.
Which laboratories does it host?
State Key Laboratories for airfoil aerodynamics, solid rocket motor combustion, UAV technology and space flight dynamics, among others.
What does it cost?
Check the current tariff.
Aeronautics, Aerospace, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: 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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