Address: 135 Xingang West Road, Haizhu District, 510275 Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Life Sciences, Materials Science & Engineering, Computer Science & Technology
Sun Yat-sen University is a public research university in Guangzhou, in the Chinese province of Guangdong. It was founded in 1924 by Sun Yat-sen himself as National Guangdong University, and he inscribed in his own handwriting its motto, which calls for studying extensively, enquiring accurately, reflecting carefully, discriminating clearly and practising earnestly. In 1926 it was the first of five universities named after him, and it dropped the word National from its name in 1949.
Several mergers shaped the institution. Lingnan University was incorporated in 1953, and in 2001 Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Science, whose roots go back to the Pok Tsai Medical School of 1866, joined the university and became its College of Medical Science. In 1935 the university was one of three, together with Tsinghua and Peking University, to set up the first graduate schools in China.
Today it operates five campuses in Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen, together with ten affiliated hospitals. It has about 55,000 students, including some 2,700 international students, who make up 4.9 percent of the total, and a faculty of about 3,700. The university takes part in the national Double First-Class programme.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong regional influence in Southern China. Growing international collaborations.
Research:
Biomedical Sciences & Precision Medicine, Marine Sciences & Engineering, AI & Big Data, Advanced Materials, Environmental Science.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4500
Current students***:
55000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading comprehensive university in Southern China, strong in life sciences and medicine, expanding its engineering programs.
Cons
More known for medicine and humanities; engineering faculties are developing. Multiple campuses.
Best For
Comprehensive university with strong life sciences and growing engineering and technology programs.
Wuhan University, with about 58,000 students, is strong in surveying and mapping engineering and remote sensing, and it was once the second of the five Sun Yat-sen universities of 1926.
Zhejiang University counts about 60,000 students and is known for computer science and chemical engineering, and it also began as one of the Sun Yat-sen universities.
Nanjing University, with about 35,700 students, focuses on physics, chemistry, mathematics and earth science, and it counts a Sun Yat-sen university among its predecessors.
Shenzhen University enrolls around 48,900 students in engineering, information technology and materials, and it is a neighbour in the same province of Guangdong.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology has about 58,000 students and is known for mechanical and optical engineering, which makes it a technical counterpart to Sun Yat-sen University’s broader profile.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seoul National University in South Korea has about 28,300 students and covers engineering, natural sciences, medicine and the humanities, a comprehensive national university close to SYSU in range.
National Taiwan University enrolls about 34,500 students and teaches medicine, engineering, sciences and agriculture, a comprehensive Chinese-speaking research university with a strong medical side.
National University of Singapore has around 35,900 students and combines engineering, computing, medicine, business and law, with an international orientation.
University of Hong Kong counts about 39,200 students and is known for medicine, dentistry, law, business and architecture, a medically strong university in the same region as Guangzhou.
University of Sydney in Australia has about 70,300 students and covers medicine and health, law, business and engineering, comparable in breadth to SYSU.
*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
When and by whom was Sun Yat-sen University founded?
It was founded in 1924 by Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary and founder of the Republic of China, under the name National Guangdong University. It has carried his name since 1926 and dropped the prefix National in 1949.
What is the university motto?
Sun Yat-sen inscribed the motto by hand: study extensively, enquire accurately, reflect carefully, discriminate clearly and practise earnestly.
How many campuses and students does it have?
The university has five campuses in three cities, Guangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen, and ten affiliated hospitals. Total enrollment is about 55,000 students, of whom roughly 33,000 are undergraduates and 22,000 are graduate students.
What is its medical heritage?
In 2001 Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Science merged into the university and became the Sun Yat-sen College of Medical Science. One of its predecessors was the Pok Tsai Medical School of 1866, regarded as the earliest institution teaching western medicine in China, where Sun Yat-sen himself once studied.
Are there other universities named after Sun Yat-sen?
In 1926 five national Sun Yat-sen universities existed, and the one in Guangzhou is the present Sun Yat-sen University. The others became Wuhan University, Zhejiang University and Nanjing University, with the fifth in Henan becoming Henan University.
How many international students are enrolled?
The Shanghai Ranking profile counts 2,714 international students, or 4.9 percent of total enrollment, including 2,073 undergraduates and 641 graduate students.
*: 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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