The South China University of Technology (SCUT) is a leading educational institution in China. It is a public research-intensive university directly governed by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Located in the city of Guangzhou, a thriving metropolis in South China, the university today covers a total area of 391 hectares, consisting of three campuses: the Wushan Campus, the University Town Campus, and the Guangzhou International Campus.
The university was formerly known as the South China Institute of Technology, which was first founded in 1952 by merging the engineering schools and departments of several major universities and polytechnic institutes from five provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi.
The reorganization, at the time, brought engineering faculties with the strongest academic strengths in the central and southern China together in Guangzhou. The predecessors of this new institute shared long histories of developing modern higher education and scientific research, especially in training students of engineering and technology. The outstanding tradition dates back to the early 20th century, when modern democracy and science were emerging and developing quickly in Guangdong province.
In 1960, eight years after the institute’s establishment, it was selected by the state as a National Key University. In 1981, it was authorized by the State Council as one of the first institutions in the country to confer doctoral degrees and master degrees.
In 1988, the South China Institute of Technology was renamed the South China University of Technology.
In 1995, SCUT was listed in China’s “Project 211”, a national endeavor aiming at strengthening top institutions of higher learning as a priority for the 21st century. In 2001, SCUT was listed in “Project 985”, which at the time was the country's most significant educational project for funding world-class universities. Then in 2017, it was chosen into China’s “Double World Class” project as a Category-A University.
After over 60 years of development, SCUT has become a multi-disciplinary university, merging science, engineering, business management, arts and social science, medicine and other disciplines into one integration. Since its founding, it has educated over 380,000 graduates at all levels. Large numbers of SCUT alumni have made key contributions to the country and the world, especially in economy, technology, and education.
In 2016, SCUT was ranked the world’s top 300 universities by the Academic Ranking of World Universities, with its engineering placed at the 22nd place. According to Clarivate Analytics’s Essential Science Indicators, SCUT has nine subject areas ranked within the global top 1%, including chemistry, materials science, engineering, agricultural science, physics, biology and biochemistry, computer science, environment and ecology, and clinical medicine.
Being determined to take a more active and efficient role in the global education, SCUT has established connections and partnerships with over 200 overseas universities and research institutions to promote student training and scientific research. There are international students from more than 100 countries studying in SCUT's campuses. Most of them are taking courses in Chinese language and culture, natural science, engineering, and business management.
Entering a new phase of the university’s history, our faculty will continue to take student cultivation as the ultimate goal of our agenda. Considering the importance of people as the fundamental element of education, the university always sees 'the academy as the foundation, talented ones as the strength, open minds as the vitality, and the culture of the university as the energy to thrive and last'. All these efforts are building SCUT as a top-ranking university in the country and a renowned world-class institution.
