Soochow University in Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, descends from a university founded in 1900 in Suzhou by Methodists, who merged three academies. David Lawrence Anderson was its first president. The university split in 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, and alumni who had moved to Taiwan founded a separate Soochow University in Taipei. In 1952 the mainland departments merged into Sunan Teachers College, which was renamed Jiangsu Teachers College in December of that year.
In 1982 the college was reorganised as a provincial comprehensive university under the name Soochow University. Later mergers added the Suzhou Sericulture College in 1995, the Suzhou Institute of Silk Technology in 1997, the Suzhou Medical College in 2000 and the Suzhou campus of the Nanjing Institute of Railway Technology in 2012. The university was included in Project 211 in 1996 and in the Double First-Class initiative in 2017 and 2022.
As of May 2025 it has four campuses: Tiancizhuang, Dushu Lake, Yangcheng Lake and the Future Campus, which together cover 3.06 million square metres. The main campus is located at 1 Shizi Street in Suzhou. The university reports more than 39,000 students, among them more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, and 5,983 faculty and staff.
Its 37 schools and departments include the humanities, the Kenneth Wang School of Law, business, education, foreign languages, mathematical sciences, computer science and technology, music, the medical college and rail transportation. The university offers 132 undergraduate programmes, 47 first-level master’s disciplines, 35 professional master’s categories and 31 first-level doctoral disciplines, together with one professional doctoral programme and 30 postdoctoral research stations.
Alumni of Soochow and its predecessors include the playwright and translator Yang Jiang, the geneticist Tan Jiazhen, the novelist Jin Yong, who co-founded the newspaper Ming Pao, the religious leader and calligrapher Zhao Puchu, the fashion designer Ma Ke, the weightlifter Chen Yanqing and the swimmer Sun Yang. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in Chinese.
Suzhou is a historic city in Jiangsu, and the main campus on Shizi Street is in its old centre.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Kenneth Wang School of Law, Medical College, and the Double First-Class initiative; separate from Soochow University in Taipei.
Research:
Humanities, law, business, education, foreign languages, mathematical sciences, computer science, music, medicine and rail transportation.
Famous Alumnis:
Yang Jiang, Tan Jiazhen, Jin Yong, Zhao Puchu, Sun Yang, Chen Yanqing
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5983
Current students***:
39000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Historic university in the city of Suzhou, broad range of disciplines, four campuses with new Future Campus, Double First-Class status.
Cons
Multiple campuses, teaching mainly in Chinese, competitive national admission.
Best For
Students seeking a historic comprehensive Chinese university in Suzhou with a wide range of degrees.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Yunnan University shares the core fields of this institution, namely chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Among national alternatives, Henan University stands out for its focus on chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it covers engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 50,000 students against roughly 39,000 here.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of chemistry, mathematics and materials can consider Zhengzhou University, and it covers civil engineering and statistics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 72,600 students against roughly 39,000 here.
For students who like the chemistry, physics and materials focus of this institution but want another option nearby, Nanchang University fits well: it is slightly larger, at about 50,193 students against roughly 39,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Another national school that puts chemistry, physics and mathematics at the centre is Nanjing University, and it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Charles University in the Czech Republic shares the chemistry, physics and mathematics orientation of this institution, and it is slightly larger, at about 51,438 students against roughly 39,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Seen from abroad, University of Regensburg (Germany) is a close relative on subject matter, since chemistry, physics and mathematics are central to both, and it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers microbiology and genetics as well.
For chemistry, physics and mathematics outside the home country, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany is a natural reference; it covers microbiology and genetics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 32,000 students against roughly 39,000 here.
Masaryk University brings a the Czech Republic setting to the same core fields, chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it covers statistics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 35,115 students.
On content, Macquarie University in Australia and this institution are close, as both teach chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution and also offers graduate certificate programmes.
*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 Soochow University?
In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, with the main campus at 1 Shizi Street.
When was its predecessor founded?
In 1900 in Suzhou, by Methodists.
Is it the same as Soochow University in Taipei?
No. Alumni who moved to Taiwan founded a separate university after the 1949 split.
When did it take its present name?
In 1982, when it was reorganised as a provincial comprehensive university.
Which institutions merged into it?
The Suzhou Sericulture College, the Suzhou Institute of Silk Technology and the Suzhou Medical College, among others.
How many campuses does it have?
Four as of May 2025: Tiancizhuang, Dushu Lake, Yangcheng Lake and the Future Campus.
How many students does it have?
More than 39,000.
How many schools and departments are there?
Thirty-seven.
Which famous people studied there?
The geneticist Tan Jiazhen, the playwright Yang Jiang, the novelist Jin Yong and the swimmer Sun Yang, among others.
What does it cost?
Check the current tariff.
Biology, Chemistry, 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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