2026 Chinese Government Scholarship for Short-Term Research Exchanges in China

About the university

Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), abbreviated as "Xigongda", is located in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. It is a national key university directly under the Central Government and affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The university is renowned for its distinctive focus on talent cultivation and scientific research in the fields of aviation, aerospace, and marine engineering (the "Three Navigations"). It is a member of the national "Double First-Class" initiative, "Project 985", and "Project 211". It was designated as a national key construction university by the State Council during both the Seventh and Eighth Five-Year Plans. NPU is also included in the "2011 Plan", the "111 Plan", the "Excellent Engineer Education and Training Plan", and is a member of the Excellence Alliance of Universities. It is a founding member of the Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance and a national model university for graduate employment. It is one of the first ten universities in China to lead the construction of the National Excellent Engineer College and has been twice jointly awarded the "Major Contribution Award" by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. The history of NPU can be traced back to the National Northwestern Institute of Technology founded in 1938. In 1946, the institute moved to Xianyang and was renamed Northwestern Institute of Technology in 1950. In 1952, the aeronautical engineering departments of Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, and Nanjing University jointly established the East China Aviation Institute in Nanjing, which moved to Xi'an in 1956 and was renamed Xi'an Aeronautical Institute. In October 1957, the Northwestern Institute of Technology and Xi'an Aeronautical Institute merged to form Northwestern Polytechnical University. In February 1970, the entire Department of Aeronautical Engineering of Harbin Engineering College (now Harbin Engineering University) was integrated into NPU. In 2017, NPU was selected as a Class A university in the "World-Class Universities" construction initiative. As of November 2023, the university has 5 professional doctoral degree authorization points and 16 professional master's degree authorization points. As of March 2024, it has 24 postdoctoral research stations. As of December 2024, NPU has two campuses, Youyi and Chang'an, covering an area of over 4,700 mu (approximately 313 hectares). It has 22 specialized colleges and one School of Life Sciences and Medicine, offering 72 undergraduate programs, 39 first-level master's degree authorization disciplines, and 30 first-level doctoral degree authorization disciplines. The university has over 40,000 students and more than 4,100 faculty and staff members. Northwestern Polytechnical University was formed by the merger of the Northwestern Institute of Technology and Xi'an Aeronautical Institute in Xi'an in October 1957. In 1970, the entire Department of Aeronautical Engineering of Harbin Engineering College was integrated into NPU. In 1938, the National Beiyang Institute of Technology (now Tianjin University), the private Jiaozuo Institute of Technology (now China University of Mining and Technology), the Engineering College of Peking University, and the Engineering College of National Northeastern University (now Northeastern University) jointly established the National Northwestern Institute of Technology in Hanzhong, which was renamed the Northwestern Institute of Technology in 1950. In July 1952, following the first directive of the Ministry of Education on the adjustment of departments, the textile and mining departments of the Engineering College of Shanxi University were merged into the Northwestern Institute of Technology. In 1952, the aeronautical engineering departments of Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, and Nanjing University jointly established the East China Aviation Institute in Nanjing. In 1956, the East China Aviation Institute moved to Xi'an and was renamed Xi'an Aeronautical Institute. In 1960, Northwestern Polytechnical University was designated as a national key university by the State Council. In 1970, the entire Department of Aeronautical Engineering of Harbin Engineering College was integrated into NPU. In 1986, the university established a pilot graduate school, which was officially established in 1996, becoming one of the first universities to establish a graduate school.