Chongqing University China-EU Student Exchange Program

About the university

Chongqing University (CQU), commonly referred to as CQU, is a national key university located in Chongqing, China. It is directly under the Central Government and administered by the Ministry of Education. As a member of the national "Double First-Class" initiative, "211 Project," and "985 Project," the university is a comprehensive institution with a focus on engineering and coordinated development across multiple disciplines. It has been selected for the Everest Plan and the Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan, and is a member of the Excellence Alliance of Universities, the Belt and Road University Alliance, and the China Higher Education Drama Alliance. It is also among the first batch of pilot universities for the National Excellent Teacher Training Plan, and has been included in the Innovation Capability Enhancement Plan for Higher Education Institutions, the Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Plan for Higher Education Institutions, the Excellent Engineer Education and Training Plan, and the Excellent Legal Talent Education and Training Plan. Founded in 1929, the university developed into a comprehensive institution with a full range of disciplines in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, business, law, and medicine by the 1940s. In 1952, it was restructured into a multi-disciplinary university with a focus on engineering. After the reform and opening-up, the university underwent comprehensive restoration, adjustment, and reform, becoming a university with a focus on engineering and coordinated development across multiple disciplines. In 2000, the former Chongqing Jianzhu University and Chongqing Architecture College merged with Chongqing University to form the new Chongqing University. In 2017, it was selected as a "World-Class University Construction University (Category A)" and in 2022, it was included in the second round of the "Double First-Class" construction. On January 16, 2025, the "China Badminton Association - Chongqing University Badminton Center" was established. As of March 2025, the university covers an area of over 5,300 mu, with campuses A, B, C, Huxi, and Liangjiang. It comprises 7 faculties, 35 schools, and 8 affiliated hospitals, offering 90 undergraduate programs (directions). It has 35 post-doctoral research stations, 37 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 9 professional doctoral degree authorization points, 44 first-level master's degree authorization points, and 26 professional master's degree authorization points. The university has over 5,100 faculty and staff, and more than 52,000 enrolled students, including nearly 26,000 graduate students and over 26,000 undergraduates. In the winter of 1925, Li Kuian, the speaker of the Ba County Council, proposed the establishment of Chongqing University. In the summer of 1929, the "Chongqing University Promotion Association" was formed and issued the "Declaration on the Establishment of the Chongqing University Preparatory Committee." On October 12, 1929, classes officially began, marking the formal establishment of a modern institution of higher learning. In 1933, the university started undergraduate programs, enrolling students in the faculties of liberal arts and sciences, and moved to the banks of the Jialing River in Shapingba, Chongqing, which is now Campus A of Chongqing University. At the end of May 1935, Chongqing University was approved as a provincial university and renamed "Sichuan Provincial Chongqing University." In the same year, the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Technology merged into Chongqing University, and its faculties of liberal arts and agriculture were merged into Sichuan University. In 1942, the university was approved as a national university and renamed "National Chongqing University." In 1948, Chongqing University began enrolling graduate students, making it one of the earliest universities in China to offer graduate education. In November 1949, after the liberation of Chongqing, the People's Republic of China took over National Chongqing University, which was subsequently renamed Chongqing University. At that time, Chongqing University had become a comprehensive university with six faculties (sciences, engineering, liberal arts, business, law, and medicine) and 21 departments, enjoying a high reputation both domestically and internationally. Around 1952, during the nationwide restructuring of higher education institutions, Chongqing University, after incorporating some engineering programs from other universities, became a multi-disciplinary industrial university with a focus on mechanical, electrical, power, mining, and metallurgical disciplines. It also established China's first plastic factory using entirely domestic equipment and raw materials, filling a gap in China's chemical industry. In 1958, Chongqing University became one of the earliest universities in China to conduct computer science research, and in 1960, it was designated as a national key university. After the reform in 1978, Chongqing University was restored and developed into a national key comprehensive university directly under the Ministry of Education, and became one of the first units under the Ministry of Education to resume graduate enrollment and grant master's and doctoral degrees. In 1981, Chongqing University became one of the first batch of universities in China authorized to confer master's and doctoral degrees. In 1999, it became one of the first batch of universities under the national "211 Project."