Shandong University Confucius Institute Scholarship

About the university

Shandong University (SDU), with its legal registered address in Jinan, Shandong Province, is a comprehensive national key university directly under the central government and the Ministry of Education, jointly built by the State Council's education administrative department and Shandong Province. It is ranked among the national "Double First-Class", "Project 985", and "Project 211" key construction universities. It has been selected for the 2011 Plan, the Strong Foundation Plan, the 111 Plan, the Excellent Engineer Education and Training Plan, the Excellent Doctor Education and Training Plan, the Excellent Legal Talent Education and Training Plan, the Medical "Double First-Class" Construction Alliance, the Global Energy Internet University Alliance, and the Asian Campus program. The university was founded in 1901, originally as Shandong University Hall; in 1904, it was renamed Shandong Higher School; in 1924, the private Qingdao University was formally established; in 1926, six specialized schools merged to form the provincial Shandong University; in 1930, the National Qingdao University was formally established; in 1932, it was renamed National Shandong University; in 1945, Shandong University was founded (referred to as Linyi Shandong University to distinguish it from National Shandong University); in 1951, it merged with East China University and was still named Shandong University; in 2000, Shandong University, Shandong Medical University, and Shandong University of Technology merged to form the new Shandong University; in 2001, it was designated as a national "Project 985" key high-level research university; in 2017, it was selected as a national "Double First-Class" (Category A) construction university. As of November 2024, the university has 4,936 full-time teachers. As of June 2025, the university has formed a pattern of one university with three campuses (Jinan, Weihai, Qingdao); it has 19 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (including those under contract); it has 45 postdoctoral research stations, 49 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 54 first-level master's degree authorization points, 9 professional doctoral degree authorization categories, 35 professional master's degree authorization categories; it offers 100 undergraduate programs, with over 70,000 enrolled students. As of September 2025, the university has 81 colleges. In 1901, Shandong Governor Yuan Shikai submitted the "Interim Regulations for the Trial Establishment of the University Hall in the Provincial Capital of Shandong" and simultaneously transferred Penglai County Magistrate Li Yukai to prepare; in October, the draft was approved, and the official Shandong University Hall was established at Luoyuan Academy in Jinan. The first batch enrolled 300 students, divided into specialized, regular, and preparatory classes, each supervised separately; on November 24 of the same year, Shandong University Hall temporarily borrowed Luoyuan Academy to start classes, with an initial three-year academic system later changed to four years. In 1912, the National Government implemented a system of establishing university districts nationwide, with universities in central cities of each district and specialized schools in each province. Shandong belonged to the central city of Beijing, and according to regulations, the university hall should be abolished, and it was closed in 1914. Teachers and students were transferred to six specialized schools: law and politics, industry, agriculture, commerce, mining, and medicine. Principal Ding Weichuan subsequently became the principal of the Commercial Specialized School, and the school buildings were used by the Law and Politics Specialized School. During its 14 years of operation, Shandong University Hall produced 770 graduates, with 59 selected to study in Europe, the United States, and Japan. Among them, Xu Jingxin and Zhang Boyan joined the Tongmenghui in Japan and were appointed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen as the heads of the Shandong Tongmenghui. Shandong University Hall was the first government-run higher education institution in Shandong Province and the historical starting point of Shandong University. In 1907, Shandong Governors Yang Shixiang and Wu Tingbin established Shandong Higher Agricultural School at Quanfuzhuang, East Gate of Jinan, with 5,000 mu of land at the northern foot of Qianfo Mountain and Ma'an Mountain in the southern suburbs as the school's forest farm. In 1912, returned student from Japan Ye Chunkui requested and was approved to establish a commercial school at the South Gate of Jinan, later named Shandong Public Commercial Specialized School; in the same year, the Qingzhou Prefecture Gaomi Secondary Industrial School and Jinan Industrial School merged, and later merged with Shandong First Middle School, and the following year, Shandong Public Industrial Specialized School was established at the Shangzhi Hall campus of the First Middle School. In 1920, the Shandong Provincial Medical School was officially named Shandong Public Medical Specialized School; in the same year, the Mining Training Institute was expanded into Shandong Public Mining Specialized School, located at the East Gate of Jinan.