Xi'an International Studies University Central Asia College Scholarship

About the university

Xi'an International Studies University (XISU), located in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China, is a full-time regular institution of higher education established and administered by the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. It is one of the first four foreign language institutions founded in the People's Republic of China and the only university in Northwest China offering a comprehensive range of major foreign languages. It is a high-level university under Shaanxi Province, a member of the New Silk Road University Alliance, the Chang'an Alliance, the Youth Diplomacy University Alliance, and the Global Alliance of Foreign Language Universities. In 1951, the Northwest Russian Language College was formed by merging the Russian Department of the School of Literature at Lanzhou University, the Russian Group of the Foreign Languages Department at Northwest University, and the Russian Specialized Course. In 1952, the Russian Language Class of the Party School of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China was incorporated into the college. It was renamed Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute in 1958 and Xi'an International Studies University in 2006. Graduate enrollment began in 1979, master's degree authorization was granted in 1986, doctoral degree authorization was granted in 2013 with a first-level doctoral degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures, and a postdoctoral research station was approved in 2014. In 2023, it was recognized as a National Language and Character Promotion Base by the Ministry of Education and the National Language Commission. As of 2021, the university has four campuses: Chang'an, Yanta, Zhenhua, and Yahe. As of March 2025, the university covers a total area of 1,593 mu (approximately 106.2 hectares), with a building area of about 1.082 million square meters. Its library holdings cover 50 languages, including 1.291 million print books and periodicals, over 2.2 million e-books, and 45 Chinese and foreign language databases. It has 22 colleges (departments) and other teaching units, offering 57 undergraduate programs. It has one postdoctoral research station, one first-level doctoral degree authorization point, 17 second-level doctoral degree authorization points, 10 first-level master's degree authorization points, and 11 professional master's degree authorization points. As of December 2024, there are 1,065 full-time faculty members and 20,026 full-time students. In 1950, to meet the needs of national economic construction and political diplomacy, the Ministry of Education decided to establish a foreign language institution in Northwest China. In 1952, the Russian Department of Northwest University, the Russian Department of Lanzhou University, and the Russian Language Class of the Party School of the Northwest Bureau of the Communist Party of China merged to form the Northwest Russian Language College, the predecessor of Xi'an International Studies University. In 1958, the Ministry of Education approved the renaming of the Northwest Russian Language College to Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute, which began enrolling undergraduate students. That same year, an English major was added. In 1959, German and French majors were introduced. In 1960, a Spanish major was added, later merged with French to form the French-Spanish Department. The Cultural Revolution, starting in 1966, disrupted normal teaching. In 1972, the main campus moved back to Xi'an, and teaching gradually resumed. In 1975, a Japanese major was added to the Russian Department, which was renamed the Russian-Japanese Department. Graduate enrollment began in 1979, and master's degree authorization was granted in 1986. In 1994, Shaanxi Foreign Language Normal College merged with Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute. In 1995, Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute and Shaanxi Foreign Language Normal College merged to form a new Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute. In 2001, the Business School was established. In 2002, the university celebrated its 50th anniversary, built the Yanta Campus gate 'Arc de Triomphe', and renamed the English Department to the School of English Studies. In 2004, the Japanese School was renamed the School of Oriental Languages and Cultures. In 2006, Xi'an Foreign Languages Institute was renamed Xi'an International Studies University, becoming the fourth foreign language university in China. In 2011, it was designated by the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government as a key high-level university for the 12th Five-Year Plan period. In 2012, with approval from Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters), the Multilingual Base for Chinese International Promotion (Xi'an) was established. In July 2013, it was approved by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council as a doctoral degree-granting institution, obtaining the first-level doctoral degree authorization in Foreign Languages and Literatures. In September 2014, with approval from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Postdoctoral Management Committee, a postdoctoral research station in Foreign Languages and Literatures was established. In August 2018, it was listed by the Shaanxi Provincial Government as a university for the construction of first-class disciplines domestically. In 2020, the School of European Studies was formed by merging the former School of German Studies and the former School of Western Languages and Cultures; in the same year, it joined the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie. In May 2021, it became a member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI). On December 22, 2021, it joined the Youth Diplomacy University Alliance. In March 2022, it was selected for the Ministry of Education's China Education Association for International Exchange 'New Youth Global Competence Talent Cultivation Program'. In May 2022, it was approved as a pilot unit for the comprehensive management model of the 'One-Stop' Student Community under the national university initiative. On October 9, 2023, Xi'an International Studies University signed a counterpart support and cooperation agreement with Xinjiang Normal University. On December 10, 2023, it became one of the first 'Co-building Universities' of the Shaanxi International Communication Center. On April 10, 2025, Xi'an International Studies University held a cooperation exchange symposium and signing ceremony with Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies in South Korea. On October 12, the 'Wu Kejing Literature Research Center' was inaugurated at Xi'an International Studies University. As of March 2025, Xi'an International Studies University has 22 colleges (departments) and other teaching units, offering 57 undergraduate programs.