South China University of Technology Outstanding International Student Scholarship

About the university

South China University of Technology (SCUT), located in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It is jointly established by the State Council's educational administrative department and the Guangdong Provincial People's Government. The university is a member of the national "Double First-Class" initiative, "Project 211," and "Project 985," and is recognized as a high-level university under these key construction programs. It has been selected for the Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Program for Higher Education Institutions, the Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program, the 101 Plan, and is among the first batch of bases for the transformation and transfer of scientific and technological achievements in higher education institutions. SCUT is also a recipient institution for Chinese Government Scholarship international students and a demonstration base for international students studying in China under the Ministry of Education. It is a member of the "Old Eight Schools of Architecture" and the Sino-British University Engineering Education and Research Alliance, and is one of the first universities to establish a "Future Technology College." Originally known as South China Institute of Technology, SCUT's history can be traced back to the Guangdong Provincial First Class A Industrial School, founded in 1918. After several adjustments, it was merged into the College of Engineering of National Sun Yat-sen University in 1938, and later combined with the Guangdong Provincial Industrial Vocational School (reestablished in 1944) to form the South China Institute of Technology. The university was formally established in 1952 during the nationwide adjustment of higher education institutions and was one of the "Four Great Institutes of Technology" in the People's Republic of China. It became a national key university in 1960, was approved by the State Council as one of the first institutions to confer doctoral and master's degrees in 1981, and was renamed South China University of Technology in January 1988. As of October 2023, the university has three campuses: Wushan Campus, University Town Campus, and Guangzhou International Campus. As of December 2023, the university covers an area of 3,880,500 square meters, with a total value of teaching and research equipment of 4.147 billion yuan. As of June 2025, the university has 40 schools and 4 affiliated hospitals. As of the end of 2024, the university offers 91 undergraduate programs, has 35 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 39 first-level master's degree authorization points, and 7 national key disciplines. There are 28,214 full-time undergraduate students and 24,632 graduate students. SCUT was formed from the College of Engineering of Sun Yat-sen University, the College of Science and Engineering of South China United University, the College of Science and Engineering of Lingnan University, and Guangdong Industrial Vocational School. The College of Engineering of Sun Yat-sen University originated from the National Sun Yat-sen University College of Science and Engineering, established in 1931, formally founded in August 1934, and moved with the entire university to the current SCUT campus in Shipai, Guangzhou in September 1950. The College of Science and Engineering of South China United University was formed by merging the College of Engineering of Guangdong National University (established in 1930) and the College of Science and Engineering of Guangzhou University (established in 1940). The College of Science and Engineering of Lingnan University can be traced back to the College of Engineering of Lingnan University, established in 1930. Guangdong Industrial Vocational School, formerly known as the Guangdong Provincial First Class A Industrial School (historically referred to as "Jiagong"), was founded in 1918, with its earliest origins traceable to the Guangdong Craft Bureau, an educational institution established by the Qing government in 1910. After several changes, it became the Xiangqin Institute of Technology (1933), the Guangdong Provincial Xiangqin University College of Engineering (1934), and was merged into the National Sun Yat-sen University College of Engineering (1938). It was reestablished as the Guangdong Provincial Industrial Vocational School in the summer of 1943 and renamed Guangdong Industrial Vocational School in 1950. In 1951, the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government approved the establishment of South China Institute of Technology. The following year, South China Institute of Technology (now SCUT) was formally formed based on the College of Engineering of Sun Yat-sen University, the College of Science and Engineering of South China United University, the engineering departments of Lingnan University, and Guangdong Industrial Vocational School, together with engineering-related programs from six other institutions: Hunan University, Guangxi University, Nanchang University, Wuhan Transportation College (later merged into Wuhan University), Wuchang Zhonghua University (now Wuhan University), and Wuhan University. This brought together the best engineering faculties in the Central and Southern region, laying a solid foundation for SCUT's engineering education. In 1952 and 1953, the water conservancy disciplines, programs, faculty, and equipment of South China Institute of Technology were transferred to form Wuhan University of Water Resources and Electric Power (merged into Wuhan University in 2000). In 1953, relevant programs from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of South China Institute of Technology were transferred to Huazhong Institute of Technology in Wuhan (predecessor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology). In the same year, the railway engineering program of South China Institute of Technology was transferred to Changsha to form Changsha Railway Institute (merged to form Central South University in 2000). In 1953, the inorganic chemical engineering program of South China Institute of Technology was transferred to East China Institute of Chemical Technology. In 1954, the Department of Water Conservancy was transferred to Wuhan to participate in the formation of Wuhan Institute of Water Resources and Electric Power. In May 1955, the telecommunications engineering programs of South China Institute of Technology, Nanjing Institute of Technology, and Jiaotong University were combined in Chengdu, Sichuan, to form Chengdu Institute of Telecommunications Engineering. In the same year, the faculty and equipment of the surveying program of South China Institute of Technology were transferred to Wuhan to form Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping. In 1958, under the leadership of renowned electronics experts Professor Feng Bingquan and Professor Xu Bingzheng, along with some faculty and students, the Department of Telecommunications Engineering (Radio Department) of South China Institute of Technology was reestablished. In the same year, South China Institute of Technology was split into South China Institute of Technology and South China Institute of Chemical Engineering. On October 22, 1960, South China Institute of Technology was designated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as one of the 64 national key universities. In 1962, South China Institute of Technology and South China Institute of Chemical Engineering merged to form South China Institute of Technology.