Address: 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, 100871 Beijing, Beijing, China
Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences
Founded in 1898, Peking University is a leading Chinese university, renowned for its comprehensive strength in sciences, humanities, and increasingly, engineering and technology.
Peking University, known in China as Beida, was founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, the first national comprehensive university in China. It has about 45,000 students and 6,500 staff, and the campus in the Haidian district of Beijing is built around the former Yenching University grounds, with a lake, a pagoda disguised as a water tower and traditional courtyards close to modern laboratories. About one student in ten is from abroad.
The university has long carried a political and cultural weight beyond academia. Student protests on May 4, 1919 began here and shaped the intellectual history of modern China. Sciences and humanities have been its traditional strengths, with outstanding departments in physics, chemistry, mathematics, life sciences and philosophy, and since the 2000s it has expanded engineering, information technology and medicine through the Peking University Health Science Center.
Research covers fundamental sciences, artificial intelligence and data science, health and medical research, environmental science and new materials. Tu Youyou, who studied pharmacy at Peking University and won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for artemisinin, is among the alumni, as is Robin Li, the founder of the search engine Baidu. The Yenching Academy brings international master’s students to study China from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Partnerships include Stanford, Yale and the London School of Economics, and the university is a member of the International Alliance of Research Universities and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities. Teaching is mainly in Chinese, but many graduate programmes are in English. Chinese students are admitted through the gaokao, and international applicants apply directly and may need HSK certificates.
The campus is a short walk from Zhongguancun and the Summer Palace, and student housing is often shared between several people. About 280,000 people have graduated from Peking University, and its alumni networks reach into government, finance and technology across China.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Extensive international partnerships with universities like Stanford, Yale, LSE. Member of IARU, APRU.
Research:
Fundamental Sciences, AI & Data Science, Health & Medical Research, Environmental Science, New Materials.
Famous Alumnis:
Li Keqiang, Tu Youyou, Robin Li
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6500
Current students***:
45000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
280000
Pros
Top-ranked university, strong in basic sciences, rich history and cultural influence.
Cons
Highly competitive, traditional academic environment can be intense.
Best For
Leading comprehensive university with exceptional strength in basic sciences and research.
Where this university leans on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, Nankai University does the same, and it is smaller, enrolling about 30,000 students against roughly 45,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Fudan offers a comparable education in astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies: it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and is slightly smaller, at about 35,000 students against roughly 45,000 here.
A good alternative in the same country is Capital Normal University, which likewise covers astroscience, bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics; it is smaller, enrolling about 28,000 students against roughly 45,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Both schools build their programmes around bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and optics, and Liaoning University is the one to compare first within the country, since it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is smaller, enrolling about 28,000 students against roughly 45,000 here.
In terms of fields, Zhejiang Normal University is the nearest neighbour, with bioinformatics, microbiology and genetics and optics again at the core; it is smaller, enrolling about 30,000 students against roughly 45,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The closest overseas parallel on astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics is University of Warsaw, located in Poland; it has almost the same size, at about 40,000 students, and is also a public institution.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics is Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań in Poland, and it covers signal processing and thermodynamics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 35,000 students against roughly 45,000 here.
Seen from abroad, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany) is a close relative on subject matter, since astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics are central to both, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers marine science and signal processing as well.
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg in Germany shares the astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this university, and it is smaller, enrolling about 29,000 students against roughly 45,000 here, and is also a public institution.
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 also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral 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 Peking University?
The main campus is at 5 Yiheyuan Road in the Haidian district of Beijing, near the Summer Palace.
How large is PKU?
About 45,000 students and 6,500 staff, with roughly 10 percent of students from abroad.
When was PKU founded?
In 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, the first national comprehensive university in China.
What is PKU known for?
Physics, chemistry, life sciences, mathematics, the humanities and, more recently, artificial intelligence, medicine and engineering.
What language is used for teaching?
Mainly Chinese, with many graduate programmes available in English.
How do foreign students apply?
They apply directly to the university and may need HSK certificates for Chinese-taught programmes. Check the admissions pages for current rules.
What is the Yenching Academy?
It is an international master's programme at PKU that studies China from a multidisciplinary perspective.
Which Nobel laureate studied at PKU?
Tu Youyou, who studied pharmacy at the university, received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for artemisinin.
Which networks does PKU belong to?
The International Alliance of Research Universities and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, among others.
Who are famous alumni?
Tu Youyou, Robin Li, founder of Baidu, and Li Keqiang, former premier of China, studied at PKU.
*: 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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