A key multidisciplinary university directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Nankai University is also the alma mater of our beloved late Premier Zhou Enlai. It has long been given much attention by the central government. Chinese top leaders from Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai to President Jiang Zemin all were at Nankai University for inspection. Chairman Mao wrote the name for Nankai University while President Jiang Zemin inscribed the following remarks: “A glorious tradition to promote patriotism, dedication, creativity, love of the community, all to build a first-rate socialist university.”

Nankai University was founded in 1919 by the famous patriotic educators in Chinese Modern History, Mr. Zhang Boling and Mr. Yan Xiu. During the War of Resistance against Japan, Nankai University, Peking University (Beijng University) and Tsinghua University (Qinghua University) united in Kunming to be the renowned Southwest Associated University. It was compared to be “The North Star of Higher Learning”. In accordance with its motto of “Dedication to the public interests, acquisition of all-round capability and aspiration for progress with each passing day”, the University has produced batches of prominent talents such as late Premier Zhou Enlai, Dr. Xiingsheng Chern, Dr. Dayou Wu and Mr. Cao Yu. On December 25th, 2000 the State Ministry of Education signed an agreement with Tianjin Municipal Government on jointly establishing and developing Nankai University. Since then, Nankai University has been listed among universities being attached great importance for developing in the 21st century.

Nankai University now occupies an area of 1,480,000 m2with a floor space up to 1,000,000 m2.The total collection of the university library reaches over 3,000,000 volumes. Besides its main campus located in Balitai, Nankai University also has campuses in Yingshui Road, TEDA College in Tianjin Economic Development Area, Binhai College in Dagang District, Financial Engineering College in the city of Shenzhen and a Graduate School in Yunnan Province, which reasonably form a multi-campuses pattern for comprehensive development.

Nankai University is considered a comprehensive university with a complete curriculum that includes the humanities, natural sciences, technology, life sciences, medical sciences and the arts. The University believes in the equal importance of the sciences and the liberal arts, laying a strong foundation with practical and creative characteristics. The University has 19 faculties, including a Graduate School, China APEC Institute, School for Continuing Education, Advanced Vocational School and Modern Distance Education School. Nankai University offers 68 undergraduate specialties, 158 Master's programs, 98 Doctoral programs, 17 Post-Doctoral research stations and 12 authorized basic specialties. Besides, there are 18 national key specialties, 13 provincial and municipal key specialties, 2 national key labs, 4 provincial and municipal key labs, 1 national engineering center, 8 national bases for basic science research and talents cultivation, 1 base for cultural quality education and 4 key research bases for humanities and social sciences. The University has been active in structuring disciplines to meet the demands of producing talents and 21st economic development and social progress.

Nankai University has a well-balanced faculty team in age and specialties, being equipped with excellent academic capability and creative spirit. Among the 1,527 faculties, there are 401 Doctoral supervisors, 544 full professors and 610 associate professors, 7 academicians of Chinese Academy of Science, 2 academicians of The 3rd World Academy of Science, 10 members of the Subject Assessment Division, Degree Appraisal Committee of the State Council, 14 nationally accredited experts with outstanding contributions, 10 professors invited on “Yangtse River Scholar Award program”, 2 lecture professors invited on “Yangtse River Scholar Award program”, 5 specially invited professors by Tianjin municipality, 12 recipients of National Outstanding Youth Foundation, 11 recipients of Excellent Young Teachers Prize by Ministry of Education, 9 teachers selected by national “Millions of Talents program”, 28 recipients of Cross Century Talents Foundation under Ministry of Education, and 2 teachers awarded the honor of “Outstanding College Lecturers”.

Nankai University has a complete education system for producing undergraduates, postgraduates on master's and doctoral programs and post-doctoral researchers. Currently, the university has the total enrollments of 27,869 students, including 11,859 undergraduate students, 573 two-year program undergraduate students, 5,623 master's candidates, 1,956 doctoral candidates, 859 foreign students, 7,858 part-time students for Master's degree and 4,408 students on distance education program, 135 post-doctoral researchers.

Nankai University is the center for both education and academic research. In academic research, not only the basic science research has been made full use, but also the applied science research is paid great attention. A large number of achievements have been made and acknowledged home and abroad. The number of SCI theses ranks top ten among Chinese universities. The number of national social science projects and those under the ministry of education, the funds allocated and the awarded achievements are all in the advanced position among the universities of China. In 2003, three research fruits were awarded the national second prize. The “Star of Nankai” supercomputer designed and made mutually by Nankai University and IBM of America has got through the testing by experts with a running speed of 3.231TFlops, the fastest speed by far in China. Nankai University actively takes the advantages of disciplines, technology, talents and information to enhance the industrialization and commercialization of research fruits serving for the national and local economy and social development. Some research institutes like China APEC Institute and School of Economic & Social Development have become the “Think Tank” and “Talents Cradle” for central and local governments.

Nankai University has broad international communications by establishing exchanging and collaborative relationships with more than 100 universities and academic institutions. Nobel Laureates Chen Ning Yang, Tsung-Dao Lee, Samuel Chao Chung Ting, Robert A. Mundell, and Reinhard Selton as well as former President of Korea Kim Dae Jung and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were all conferred Honorary Professors of Nankai University. Many other world-known scholars and entrepreneurs have been invited as Visiting Professors of Nankai University. The Great Mathematician Dr. Xiing Sheng Chern has resided at Nankai Campus, attracting a large number of talented Mathematicians known home and abroad. Nankai University has thus become one of the most famous mathematician centers in the world.

Nankai University focuses on the students' all-round capability and creativity in teaching and education. Under its educational philosophy of “Art to regulate the country, science to strengthen the country and economy to richen the country”, the University leaders point out a teaching guideline of “pay attention to quality education, cultivate capability, strengthen knowledge foundation and widen disciplinary spheres, strictly administrate and guarantee high quality”. It established a complete educational system by connecting class teaching, scientific experiments, academic activities and social practice. A flexible educational system has been set up, including the system of credits, system of “major plus minor” education and double degrees. More freedom has been given to courses selection and major or department transferring. Emphasis has been laid on cultivating excellent talents to meet the social demands and serve the economic development. Nankai has perfectly combined “class teaching—campus culture—social practice” and made it the basis for cultivating students. The University attaches great importance to create high level campus cultural atmosphere to exert the educational function with deep cultural background. The University Motto “Dedication to the public interests, acquisition of all-round capability, aspiration for progress with each passing day.” has been richen with the meaning of the new era. Our late Premier Zhou Enlai, Nankai prominent alumni, has been the model for all students to form a healthy disposition with high morality, spirit of creativity and the practical capability. In 1999, Nankai University successfully passed, with excellent performance, the Evaluation for Undergraduate Education by the State Ministry of Education. According to the spirit of the agreement on mutual establishing Nankai University by the State Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipal Government, Nankai University will carry out the overall cooperation with Tianjin University under the principles of Independently Running Schools and Closely cooperation”. Through the exchanges of lecturers and courses, as well as the credits acknowledgements, the students have broadened their perspectives and strengthened their theory basis and creativity.

More than 70 kinds of scholarships are offered by the University. Every year up to 50% students are awarded scholarships in different levels on entering the school. The maximum reaches up to 10,000 RMB per year. Loans, stipends to poor students and part-time jobs to earn tuition as well as the donations from all social fields have provided strong support to students from low-income families to finish their study. Nankai University is known for the aspiring spirits, attaching great importance to the students' all-round development in moral, intelligence, physical education and esthetics. It has created rich, elegant, dynamic and aspiring campus culture for the students to develop in healthy ways. As a result, being equipped with strong basic knowledge, all-round capability, creativity and practical ability, graduates from Nankai University are extraordinarily popular with employers from all fields.