Address: 2699 Qianjin Street, Chaoyang District, 130012 Changchun, Jilin, China
Automotive Engineering, Chemistry, Geosciences
Jilin University dates its beginnings to 1946 and is based in Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province. It is a public university under the Ministry of Education and describes itself as one of China’s largest and most comprehensive universities.
The university in its current form dates from 12 June 2000, when the former Jilin University, Jilin University of Technology, Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun University of Science and Technology and Changchun Institute of Posts and Telecommunications were combined; the University of Military Logistics followed in 2004. Its legal address is No. 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun.
Its profile on the University of the Arctic site lists 73,109 students and 6,550 academic staff, while the Times Higher Education profile lists 71,955 students and 6,420 staff. In the 2026 ShanghaiRanking subject ranking Jilin is 13th in chemistry and 13th in instruments science and technology, 20th in nanoscience and 27th in chemical engineering, and the university is in the 101-150 band of the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong collaborations with FAW Group (First Automobile Works) and other industries in Northeast China.
Research:
Advanced Vehicle Design & Manufacturing, Polymer Chemistry & Materials, Earth Exploration & Information Technology, AI & Big Data.
Famous Alumnis:
Liu Xiaobo (taught)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6500
Current students***:
70000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Very large comprehensive university, strong in automotive engineering and chemistry, significant research output.
Cons
Located in Changchun (Northeast China), very large and spread out.
Best For
Large comprehensive university with strengths in automotive engineering, chemistry, and geosciences.
CUG, the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, is a public university with geology and geological engineering, geophysics and geomatics among its main fields, matching Jilin's geosciences.
Central South University in Changsha lists materials science and engineering, mining engineering, and civil and transport engineering, a broad engineering profile.
Northeast Normal University is also located in Changchun, a public university whose main fields are life sciences and ecology, chemistry and materials science, and physics.
Shandong University in Jinan is another public comprehensive university with materials science, control science and computer science as main fields, and it also resulted from a merger around 2000.
Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin is a public university with aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science as main fields.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Universität Stuttgart in Germany lists automotive engineering and aerospace engineering among the main fields of this public university.
Nagoya University in Japan is public and combines physics and chemistry with engineering, including automotive and materials fields.
Politecnico di Torino in Italy is a public technical university with automotive and aerospace engineering among its main fields.
Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany is a public university in Freiberg whose main fields are geosciences, mining engineering and materials.
*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
In which year did Jilin University begin?
It was founded in 1946, according to its university charter and the Times Higher Education profile.
Which institutions were merged in 2000?
On 12 June 2000 the former Jilin University, Jilin University of Technology, Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun University of Science and Technology and Changchun Institute of Posts and Telecommunications formed the current university. The University of Military Logistics joined in 2004.
Where is the university located?
Its legal address is No. 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun, Jilin Province, and the university is administered by the Ministry of Education.
How many students and staff does it report?
The University of the Arctic profile lists 73,109 students and 6,550 academic staff, and the Times Higher Education profile lists 71,955 students and 6,420 staff, so the figures differ slightly by source.
In which subjects is it ranked highest?
The 2026 ShanghaiRanking subject results place chemistry and instruments science and technology 13th, nanoscience 20th, chemical engineering 27th and remote sensing 28th. The university as a whole is in the 101-150 band of the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Which national initiatives include Jilin University?
It is listed in the Double First-Class Construction and is described as a Category A institution in China's double world-class initiative.
Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automotive, Chemistry, Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), Manufacturing
*: 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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