Northwest University Silk Road Scholarship for International Students

About the university

Northwest University (NWU), located in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is a comprehensive national key university under the administration of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. It is selected for the Basic Capacity Building Project for Universities in Central and Western China, and is jointly built by the Ministry of Education and the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. It is a national "Double First-Class" construction university and a national "211 Project" university. It is also part of the "Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Plan" (111 Plan), the National High-Level University Graduate Program, the National Innovation Talent Training Demonstration Base, a host institution for Chinese Government Scholarship international students, a National Demonstration University for Deepening Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Reform, and a founding member of the New Silk Road University Alliance and the Chang'an Alliance. It is one of the first higher education institutions in China to recruit graduate students and to have the authority to confer doctoral and master's degrees, and one of the first pilot universities for training reserve officers for the People's Liberation Army. Northwest University traces its origins to 1902 with the Shaanxi University Hall and the Accelerated Course of the Imperial University of Peking. It was first named Northwest University in 1912, renamed National Northwest University in 1923, and in 1937, the National Peking University, Peking Normal University, Beiyang Institute of Technology, and Peking Research Institute, which had moved to Shaanxi, formed the National Xi'an Provisional University. In 1938, it became the National Northwest United University, and in 1939, it was again renamed National Northwest University. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it became a comprehensive university directly under the Ministry of Education. In 1950, it resumed the name Northwest University. In 1958, it was placed under the administration of Shaanxi Province. In 1978, it was designated a national key university. In 2009, it became a university jointly built by the Ministry of Education and Shaanxi Province. In 2017, it was selected into the first batch of national "World-Class Discipline" construction universities. As of June 2025, the university covers a total area of over 2,360 mu (about 157 hectares). It has 24 schools (departments), offering 81 undergraduate programs, 29 doctoral degree authorization points, 59 master's degree authorization points, and 24 postdoctoral research stations. It has over 3,040 faculty and staff members and over 29,000 enrolled students. In 1901, following the Boxer Rebellion, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi, who had fled to Xi'an, issued imperial edicts on reform and education, ordering the establishment of universities in provincial capitals. Xi'an, as the temporary imperial residence, responded actively. In less than a month, Shaanxi Governor Li Shaofen petitioned to establish Shaanxi University Hall, proposing solutions for funding, teachers, and facilities. However, due to the emperor and empress dowager's preoccupation with returning to Beijing, the petition was temporarily shelved. On April 12, 1902, Shaanxi Governor Shengyun submitted a memorial to Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu regarding the opening of Shaanxi University Hall, which received the emperor's personal vermilion endorsement. The first batch of 40 students began classes on March 25, 1902. In 1905, Shaanxi University Hall was renamed Shaanxi Higher School. During this period, the curriculum covered astronomy, geography, military, engineering, commerce, electricity, chemistry, acoustics, optics, mechanics, and steam power, all under the category of sciences, with specialized departments including university division, preparatory courses, liberal arts, law, commerce, border affairs, and agriculture, gradually moving away from the old academy model and entering the ranks of modern schools. On October 22, 1911, under the leadership of Zhang Fengyi and others, the Xi'an Uprising broke out in response to the Wuchang Uprising. Five days later, the Qinlong Fuhan Military Government was established, with its headquarters at Shaanxi Higher School. Many teachers and students joined the revolution, helping to overthrow the Qing dynasty's centuries-old feudal rule in Shaanxi. After the Xinhai Revolution, Shaanxi Higher School was renamed Shaanxi Higher Education Institution. The "Beijing origin" of Northwest University can be traced back to 1902, when the Imperial University of Peking was restored and established the Shixue Hall, Shifan Hall, and preparatory political science departments.