Hohai University Scholarship

About the university

Hohai University (HHU) is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, featuring water resources as its distinctive strength and offering a coordinated development of multiple disciplines including engineering, science, economics, management, humanities, and law. It is a member of the national "Double First-Class" initiative, the "211 Project," and the "985 Project Advantage Discipline Innovation Platform," and is one of the first universities in China authorized to confer doctoral, master's, and bachelor's degrees. It has been selected for the Ministry of Education-Huawei "Intelligent Base" Industry-Education Integration Collaborative Education Base and is known as "the cradle of high-level innovative and entrepreneurial talents in water resources and an important base for water resources scientific and technological innovation." Hohai University originated from the Hohai Engineering School, founded in 1915 by the renowned modern patriotic educator and industrialist Zhang Jian. It was the first higher education institution in China dedicated to cultivating water resources professionals, marking the beginning of higher education in water resources in China. In 1924, it merged with the Engineering Department of Southeast University to form Hohai University of Engineering, which was incorporated into the Fourth Sun Yat-sen University in 1927 (renamed Central University in 1928 and Nanjing University in 1949). In 1952, the Department of Water Resources of Nanjing University, along with water resources departments from Jiaotong University, Tongji University, Zhejiang University, and East China Water Resources College, formed East China Water Resources Institute. In 1960, the institute was designated a national key university by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. In 1985, it restored its traditional name "Hohai University," with the university name inscribed by Comrade Deng Xiaoping. As of April 2025, the university has three campuses in Nanjing and Changzhou: Xikang Road, Jiangning, and Changzhou. It comprises 31 schools and departments, with a total of 55,292 students in various degree programs, including 19,171 graduate students, 22,024 undergraduate students, and 1,359 international students. It has two "Double First-Class" disciplines, 20 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 4 professional doctoral degree authorization points, 42 first-level master's degree authorization points, 20 professional master's degree authorization points, 72 undergraduate programs, and 37 national first-class undergraduate program construction points. The university has 3,579 faculty and staff members. In 1915, the renowned modern patriotic industrialist and educator Zhang Jian founded the first higher education institution in China dedicated to cultivating water resources professionals—the Hohai Engineering School—initiating higher education in water resources in China. Its address was in Nanjing, with the purpose of training water resources specialists. In 1924, the Engineering Department of Southeast University and the Hohai Engineering School merged to form Hohai University of Engineering. In 1927, Hohai University of Engineering was incorporated into the Fourth Sun Yat-sen University. The following year, the Fourth Sun Yat-sen University was renamed Jiangsu University and then National Central University. In the summer of 1937, the Department of Hydraulic Engineering was established at National Central University. During the War of Resistance against Japan, the department moved west to Shapingba, Chongqing, and established a hydraulic laboratory, soil laboratory, surveying instrument room, and library at Panxi. After the liberation of Nanjing in 1949, National Central University was renamed National Nanjing University, and the following year it was renamed Nanjing University. In 1952, during the nationwide restructuring of colleges and departments, the water resources departments of Nanjing University, Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, Tongji University, and East China Water Resources College were merged to form the first independent and largest water resources higher education institution after the founding of the People's Republic of China—East China Water Resources Institute—ushering in a new chapter in the development of water resources higher education in China. Qian Zhengying served as its first president. On October 27 of the same year, the first batch of students began classes. In 1954, the school began implementing a unified national teaching plan. In 1960, the school formulated national guiding teaching plans for majors such as hydraulic structure engineering, waterway and port hydraulic engineering, land hydrology, and farmland water conservancy engineering. In 1977, the national unified college entrance examination system was restored, and the school admitted students to 11 majors and 4 teacher training classes. The following year, the school resumed graduate student enrollment. On September 13, 1985, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power approved the restoration of the traditional name "Hohai University." On November 20 of the same year, Deng Xiaoping personally inscribed the university name "Hohai University." In February of the following year, the State Education Commission officially approved the establishment of Hohai University Mechanical College. In 1995, the school reorganized 29 departments and institutes into 10 colleges. The following year, 36 party and administrative institutions were reduced to 22, and an appointment, assessment, and evaluation system was established. In 2000, Hohai University was transferred from the Ministry of Water Resources to the management of the Ministry of Education. In the same year, construction began on the Jiangning campus of Hohai University. In 2004, the Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province reached an agreement to jointly build Hohai University. The following year, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Education signed a cooperation agreement to jointly build Hohai University. In 2008, Hohai University was approved by the Ministry of Education to establish Hohai University Wentian College. In November of the following year, the Ministry of Education and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government jointly built Hohai University. In March 2018, the university was selected for the first batch of the Ministry of Education's "Emerging Engineering Education" research and practice projects. On September 30, it became a member of the university "Resource and Environmental Poverty Alleviation Alliance." In October, it was designated by the National Intellectual Property Administration and the Ministry of Education as a 2020 National Intellectual Property Pilot University. In June 2020, the non-independent legal person Sino-foreign cooperative education institution "Hohai University Hohai Lille College," jointly run by Hohai University and the University of Lille in France, was officially approved by the Ministry of Education. On May 12 of the following year, the School of Artificial Intelligence under the Information Department of Hohai University was inaugurated. On September 25, the School of Economics and Finance of Hohai University was inaugurated. In September 2021, it was designated by the National Intellectual Property Administration and the Ministry of Education as the third batch of National Intellectual Property Information Service Centers. On February 14, 2022, it was included in the second round of the "Double First-Class" construction universities and disciplines list published by the Ministry of Education. On June 18, 2023, the inauguration ceremony of the Jilin Campus of the Water Transfer Engineering Research Institute of Hohai University was held. On July 17, Hohai University held the founding meeting of the School of Mathematics. In October, Hohai University held the unveiling ceremony of the School of Geography and Remote Sensing. On May 30, 2024, the Yan Kai Academician Scientist Spirit Education Base was selected as a Jiangsu Provincial Scientist Spirit Education Base.