Address: 220 Handan Road, Yangpu District, 200433 Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science
Established in 1905, Fudan University is a prestigious comprehensive research university in Shanghai, with strong programs in sciences, medicine, and humanities. This entry focuses on its science and relevant engineering aspects.
Fudan is one of the leading universities of Shanghai, with about 35,000 students and 3,200 staff. The name comes from a classical Chinese verse and can be read as renewing every day. The Handan campus in the Yangpu district is the historic centre, while Jiangwan, Fenglin and Zhangjiang house newer science, medicine and technology institutes. About one student in ten is from abroad.
The university was founded in 1905 by Ma Xiangbo, a Chinese Jesuit scholar, as a private school independent of foreign missions. Chen Wangdao, who later served as its president, produced the first complete Chinese translation of the Communist Manifesto at Fudan in 1920. In 2000 it merged with Shanghai Medical University, which added a large medical school and a network of hospitals.
Science and technology are strong in the departments of physics, chemistry and materials, and in recent years the university has invested in data science, artificial intelligence, brain science and public health. The Zhangjiang campus sits in the middle of Shanghai’s biomedical and integrated circuit cluster, which gives students access to companies and research institutes. Fudan belongs to Universitas 21 and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, and it has partnerships with UC Berkeley, Yale and the London School of Economics.
Teaching is mainly in Chinese, with an expanding programme in English for graduates and international undergraduates. Chinese students are admitted through the gaokao, and international students apply directly and need to show Chinese or English proficiency depending on the programme. Tuition for international students is higher than for Chinese citizens, and scholarships are available through the Chinese Government and the Shanghai Government.
Shanghai is expensive, but student housing on campus and subway lines make daily life manageable. The city’s finance, technology and consulting sectors recruit heavily from Fudan. About 180,000 people have graduated, and the alumni network in the Yangtze delta is particularly strong.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Telecommunications
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of Universitas 21, APRU. Partnerships with universities like UC Berkeley, Yale, LSE.
Research:
Advanced Materials, Data Science & AI, Brain Science, Environmental Science, Public Health (with tech applications).
Famous Alumnis:
Chen Yinke, Wang Huning
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3200
Current students***:
35000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
180000
Pros
Highly ranked comprehensive university, strong in basic sciences, located in Shanghai.
Cons
More known for humanities and medicine than pure engineering compared to specialized tech universities.
Best For
Prestigious comprehensive university with strong science programs and growing tech focus.
In terms of fields, Nankai University is the nearest neighbour, with astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies again at the core; it is slightly smaller, at about 30,000 students against roughly 35,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Peking University works in much the same fields, chiefly astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Liaoning University overlaps with this institution on bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and optics, so the two are easy to compare, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly smaller, at about 28,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of astroscience, bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics can consider Capital Normal University, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly smaller, at about 28,000 students against roughly 35,000 here.
Heilongjiang University follows much the same lines as this university, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and optics as common ground, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Students considering a move abroad can look at Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies also form the core, and it is slightly larger, at about 42,000 students against roughly 35,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Beyond national borders, University of Warsaw stands out as a comparable school for astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań brings a Poland setting to the same core fields, astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers geotechnics and signal processing as well.
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Germany is the nearest foreign match on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Seen from abroad, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca (Italy) is a close relative on subject matter, since bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics are central to both, and it covers process control and manufacturing as well, and has almost the same size, at about 35,000 students.
*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 Fudan University?
The Handan campus is at 220 Handan Road in the Yangpu district of Shanghai. Other campuses are Jiangwan, Fenglin and Zhangjiang.
How large is Fudan?
About 35,000 students and 3,200 staff, with around 10 percent of students from abroad.
When was Fudan founded?
In 1905 by Ma Xiangbo, a Chinese Jesuit scholar.
What does the name Fudan mean?
It comes from a classical Chinese verse and can be read as renewing every day.
What is Fudan known for?
Physics, chemistry, materials science, medicine, brain science, data science and the humanities.
What language is used for teaching?
Mainly Chinese, with an expanding number of English-taught programmes for graduates and international students.
How much does it cost?
International students pay higher tuition than Chinese citizens, and scholarships are available through the Chinese Government and the Shanghai Government.
Did Fudan merge with a medical school?
Yes. In 2000 it merged with Shanghai Medical University, which gave it a large medical school and hospitals.
Which networks does Fudan belong to?
Universitas 21 and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
Is Shanghai expensive for students?
Rents are high, but campus housing and the subway system make daily life manageable.
*: 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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