Chinese Government Scholarship — Silk Road Program

About the university

Yunnan University of Finance and Economics (YNUFE), also known as Yuncai Da, is a full-time regular institution of higher education established by the People's Government of Yunnan Province. Located in Kunming, Yunnan Province, it is a provincial key university with a multidisciplinary focus, primarily on economics and management, while also coordinating the development of law, literature, and other disciplines. The predecessor of Yunnan University of Finance and Economics was the Yunnan Provincial Finance Cadre School, founded in 1951. In 1979, the school launched finance and trade college-level classes, enrolling associate degree students. In 1981, Yunnan Finance and Trade College was established, beginning full-time undergraduate education. In 1995, it was designated as a provincial key university by the Yunnan Provincial Government. In 1998, it merged with Yunnan Economic Management Cadre College. In 2006, it was renamed Yunnan University of Finance and Economics. In 2013, it became a doctoral degree-granting institution. In 2017, it was included in the Ministry of Education's list of universities eligible to recommend outstanding undergraduate graduates for postgraduate study without examination. As of April 2025, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics has two campuses, Longquan Road and Anning, covering a total area of over 2,100 mu. It comprises 18 schools, 1 teaching department, and 6 research institutes. It offers 12 first-level master's degree programs, 18 professional master's degree programs, and 66 undergraduate programs. The university has over 34,000 full-time students, 2,200 faculty and staff, including over 1,500 full-time teachers. In 1950, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Finance established the Yunnan Provincial Finance Training Class, which was renamed the Yunnan Provincial Finance Cadre School in 1951. In 1958, the Finance Cadre School merged with three other cadre schools (Commerce, Supply and Marketing, and Banking) to form the Yunnan Provincial Finance and Trade Cadre School. In 1964, the Yunnan Provincial Finance and Trade Cadre School was dissolved, and five separate cadre schools (Commerce, Cooperation, Finance, Banking, and Grain) were restored and established, each under the supervision of the respective provincial departments. These five schools were suspended in 1969. In June 1973, the Provincial Grain Cadre School, Commerce Cadre School, and Finance and Banking Cadre School were re-established. In June 1978, with the approval of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, these three schools were merged again to form the Yunnan Provincial Finance and Trade Cadre School, under the leadership of the Provincial Committee's Finance and Trade Political Department. In the fall of 1978, the school enrolled two two-year specialized classes. In April 1979, with the approval of the Provincial Government, the school launched finance and trade college-level classes, and in 1980, the program was extended to three years. In August 1981, the State Council approved the establishment of Yunnan Finance and Trade College, located in Kunming and under the leadership of Yunnan Province. The college offered four-year programs in commercial economics, finance, banking, planning and statistics, accounting, capital construction financial credit, and pricing. It initially comprised the Department of Commercial Economics, Department of Finance, Department of Banking, and Department of Planning and Statistics, and began enrolling undergraduate students in 1982, while continuing the tasks of the provincial finance and trade cadre school. In 1995, Yunnan Finance and Trade College was designated as a provincial key university by the Yunnan Provincial Government, and in 1997, it passed the Ministry of Education's undergraduate teaching qualification evaluation. In April 1998, the Yunnan Provincial Government decided to merge Yunnan Economic Management Cadre College with Yunnan Finance and Trade College to form a new Yunnan Finance and Trade College. The merger was officially completed in January 1999. In December 2003, Yunnan Provincial Finance and Trade School was merged into Yunnan Finance and Trade College. In February 2006, the Ministry of Education officially approved the renaming of Yunnan Finance and Trade College to Yunnan University of Finance and Economics. In 2013, it became a doctoral degree-granting institution, and in 2014, it established its first postdoctoral research station. In 2017, the Ministry of Education added 54 universities to the list of institutions eligible to recommend outstanding undergraduate graduates for postgraduate study without examination, including Yunnan University of Finance and Economics. In May 2022, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics was awarded the title of Yunnan Province's 'Top Ten Excellent Yiban Workstations' for 2021. In July 2023, the university was honored as a national 'Excellent Yiban Co-construction University' for 2022. In May 2024, the university was selected as a member of the Ministry of Education's 'China-Africa University Alliance' exchange mechanism for Chinese universities. On December 20, the Indian Ocean Regional and Country Studies Institute of Yunnan University of Finance and Economics was inaugurated. On January 14, 2025, a strategic cooperation signing ceremony between Yunnan Daily Press Group and Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, along with the establishment ceremony of the Smart Media and Modern Industry College, was held at the Anning Campus of Yunnan University of Finance and Economics. On January 23, 2025, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics held the unveiling ceremony for the 'Port Economy Research Institute'.