A key multidisciplinary and research-oriented university directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Nankai University, located in Tianjin on the border of the sea of Bohai, is also the alma mater of our beloved late Premier Zhou Enlai.

Nankai University was founded in 1919 by the famous patriotic educators, Mr. Zhang Boling and Mr. Yan Xiu. During the Anti-Japanese war (1937-1945), Nankai University, Peking University (Beijng University) and Tsinghua University (Qinghua University) united in Kunming to form the renowned Southwest Associated University. It was considered to be The North Star of Higher Learning.

Equipped with top academic capability and creative spirit, Nankai University has a well-balanced faculty team in both age and specialties. Among the 1,986 faculties, there are 616 Doctoral supervisors, 734 master supervisors, 714 professors and 805 associate professors, 8 academicians of Chinese Academy of Science and Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5 academicians of The 3rd World Academy of Science, 15 members of the Subject Assessment Division of the Degree Appraisal Committee of the State Council, 12 nationally accredited experts with outstanding contributions, 37 chair professors and 16 lecture professors invited on Yangtze River Scholar Award program, 4 chair professors invited by Tianjin municipality, 36 recipients of National Outstanding Talent Foundation, 9 recipients of Excellent Young Teachers Prize supported by Ministry of Education，21 winners of the Cross Century Talents Foundation under Ministry of Education, 20 teachers selected by national Millions of Talents Program, 8 teachers awarded by the Ministry of Education with the honor of Outstanding College Lecturers and 3 national famous masters of higher education.  

Nankai University has a full-fledged education system for producing undergraduates, postgraduates on master's and doctoral programs and post-doctoral researchers. Currently, the University has a total enrollment of 24,525 students, including 13,067 undergraduate students, 8,162 master's candidates, 3,296 doctoral candidates, 1,048 foreign students, 2,786 part-time adult students and 43,037 students in distance education programs.

Nankai University has broad international communications by establishing exchange and collaborative relationships with more than 300 international universities and academic institutions. Nankai University has been contracted to build seven Confucius Institutes overseas including the Confucius Institute in Maryland University in the US. In 2012, Nankai was awarded as Advanced Sino-cooperation Academy of Confucius Institute. We undertake the task of National Chinese Language Training to foreign countries, launch a number of study abroad programs including the Oxford Program, participate in the Davos World University Leaders Forum, are leaders in “The new international Sinology research plan” as carried forward by State Hanban, and have advanced overall levels of internationalization. Nankai University has also collaborated with Glasgow University and established the NKU-UoG Joint Graduate School.