Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade

Located at Changle City, a gateway to Fuzhou, a historical city and a seaside culture center, Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade was established and funded by Fuzhou Yingte Investment Group Co., Ltd. and its Chairman Mr. Wu Qinming in 2004. It was upgraded to a full-time public undergraduate institution of higher learning upon the approval of the Ministry of Education in 2011 and granted undergraduate degree program in 2015. It became one of the pilot schools transforming as a whole to application-oriented universities in 2016. It is also an initiator and Vice Chairman of Non-profit Private University Alliance.

The University adheres to the educational philosophy, “Benevolence in Mind, Expression and Action” and the school motto, “Be Thoroughly Acquainted with Chinese and Foreign Civilization and Put What have been Digested into Practice” and cultivates fine school spirit, “Uphold Morality, Study Diligently, Seek Truth, Make Innovations” by fully implementing the education policies of the State, sticking to socialist orientation for running a school and fostering practicing core socialist values in order to ensure fast and orderly development of the University. It was awarded Chinese Colleges and Universities with Typical Innovative and Entrepreneurial Experience in 2017 and nominated three times in succession Fujian Provincial Civilized Campus. Since its foundation, the school has produced 14,361 students of three-year college level and 7,177 bachelor degree undergraduates who have made great contribution to the economic and social development in Fujian.

The University focuses on hardware construction and software promotion and keeps improving school running conditions. It covers a floor area of 1,309.94 mu (873,293.33 m2) and includes 373,500 m2for school buildings. The whole campus consists of teaching and administrative buildings of 179,300 m2, student dormitories of 173,800 m2, sport fields of 87,600 m2, stadium of 8,400 m2. The University has owned teaching and scientific research instruments worth RMB 106,635,500 yuan, 1,266,000 printed books and 1,973,900 electronic books. It has 436 full-time teachers and 425 part-time teachers, including two State Council Experts for Special Allowance, one nationally outstanding teacher and 16 teachers in total honored as Outstanding Teachers of Fujian Province, Famous Higher Education Teachers of Fujian Province, Fujian “New Century Talents Project”, Academic Leaders of Fujian Province, “New Century Excellent Talents” of Fujian Province and “Outstanding Young Scientific Research Talents Training Program” for Higher Education in Fujian Province. The University attaches importance to supporting and improving teaching with scientific research. It has set up two provincial research institutes of humanities and social sciences: “Zheng Zhenduo and Fujian Coastal Culture Research Center” and “Open Economy & Trade Research Center” and 11 school-level research institutions including “Research Center for Socialism Theory with Chinese Characteristic”. According to Chinese Private Higher Education Research Institute and Research Center for China Science Evaluation, the University ranked 19thin terms of scientific research competitiveness among Chinese private higher education institutions and remained top in Fujian for the second time in 2016.

To accommodate social demands for high-caliber application-oriented talents with innovation spirit and international vision, the University stopped recruiting students of 3-year college level in 2014 and starts application-oriented undergraduate education. Now the University has 15,624 students and 25 undergraduate programs with literature, economics, management, art and engineering majors developing at the same time. It recruits annually about 4,000 students from 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) nationwide with minimum passing marks for admission for liberal arts and science ranking top among similar schools in Fujian province in recent three years. Freshmen enrollment rate is kept above 94% and graduate employment rate is averaged over 95%, excelling most similar schools in Fujian province.

The University pays great attention to open school running in inclusive manner to embrace all sorts of experience. As the first private higher education institution to obtain overseas student recruitment qualification, the University now has 32 international students. Moreover, the University has partnered with 13 world-known universities or scientific research institutes such as University of Plymouth and Stony Brook University. Among first pilot schools to cooperate in school running with Taiwan higher education institutions and boasting great regional advantage located near Taiwan, the University has established a long-term partnership with 18 higher education institutions in Taiwan since 2008 and engaged actively in exchanges, joint training programs, innovation & entrepreneurship programs and social practice programs for students and teachers from both sides of the Taiwan Straits. To enhance intensive development, the University also established counterpart-assistance relationship with Fujian Normal University and signed memorandum of understanding in running school or strategic cooperation agreements with Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and therefore obtains great support in respect of talents training, disciplines & majors, scientific research & innovation and building of teaching staff.

Looking into the future, we will continue morality and citizenship education for students, lay solid foundation for the University, improve educational quality, intensify education reform and enhance intensive development towards a “first-rate university lasting for centuries” by sticking to five development concepts of “innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing”, education policies of the State and socialist orientation for school running in order to make greater contribution for a rejuvenated and abundant Chinese nation with flexible systems, upgraded industries and ecological beauty.

Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade (FUIST), as a full-time regular undergraduate institution established upon the approval by the Ministry of Education, is the initiator and Vice Chairman of the National Alliance of Non-profit Private Colleges & Universities, and Executive Vice President of the Higher Education Professional Committee of China Private Education Association. FUIST also provides cooperative program for postgraduates along with other colleges and universities. Founded in 2004, FUIST was formerly known as Fuzhou Vocational and Technical College of International Studies and Trade. Its upgrade to a regular undergraduate institution in 2011 as approved by the Ministry of Education was followed by being qualified in the evaluation among regular institutions of higher education on undergraduate education by the Ministry of Education in 2018. TheMonitoring Report on the Development Potential of Regular Institutions of Higher Education in Fujian Province of 2018, released by the Education Evaluation Research Center of Fujian Province, indicates that FUIST ranked first among private undergraduate colleges and universities in Fujian Province in terms of academic development potential in 2017, including resource integration, talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, comprehensive reputation, and related evaluation indicators. According to the latest 2022 China University Rankings released by Cuaa.Net, FUIST was highly recognized as one of the six-star private colleges and universities in China, coming to thefourth place in the ranking of private colleges and universities in China in terms of comprehensive indicators while defending its first place in Fujian Province.

Changle, hailed as “a famous seaside area culturally abundant in literature”, is a district of Fuzhou City, the capital of Fujian Province, at which FUIST is located to cover an area of more than 1,500 mu, including a campus building area of over 480,000 square meters, teaching instruments and equipment of over RMB 14,000,000, a library collection of over 3 million volumes and over 140 teaching laboratories, in addition to over 300 off-campus training bases.

The pursuit of internationalized and open-up education drives FUIST to take multiple measures to strengthen educational exchanges and integration between Fujian and Taiwan. FUIST, being the first private university in Fujian Province to be qualified for enrolling international students, the first private university qualified for enrolling undergraduates from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, one of the first batch of pilot colleges and universities to cooperate with Taiwan universities on education, holder of the title of overseas Chinese education base in Fujian Province, and the advanced unit of employing foreign cultural and educational experts in Fuzhou City, has been cooperating with more than 20 foreign high-level institutions, such as Plymouth University (UK), University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UK), De Montfort University (UK), Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK), University of Chester (UK), University of Sunderland (UK), Alliant International University (USA), University of Western Australia (Australia), Massey University (New Zealand), Réseau Studialis (France), Accademia Di Belle Arti Rosario Gagliardi (Italy), Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco (Portugal), Haute Ecole de la Province de Liège (Belgium), etc., in respect of joint training of undergraduates and postgraduates, exchange students, summer and winter studies, mutual visits of teachers, further study visits, etc. Close teaching and research cooperation has also been established between FUIST and nearly 20 universities in Taiwan, including Asia University, I-Shou University, Ming Chuan University, Chung Yuan Christian University, Feng Chia University, Shu-Te University, etc. To actively respond to the “Belt and Road” Initiative of China, FUIST mainly recruits international students from countries along the “Belt and Road”, including more than 70 students from Morocco, Liberia, Guinea, Vietnam, Nepal, Laos, Mongolia and other countries along the “Belt and Road”, as well as United States.

The joint efforts of all faculties and students contribute to a good reputation of FUIST in the society and a series of awards including “Excellent School of Private College Education in China”, “National Model Staff House”, “the 10th, 11th and 12th Civilized School in Fujian Province”, “the 1st and 2nd Batches of Civilized Campus in Fujian Province”, “Advanced Unit of College Graduate Employment in Fujian Province” and “Advanced Unit of Vocational Education in Fujian Province”, “May Day Labor Certificate of Fujian Province”, “Advanced Staff House of Fujian Province”, “Outstanding Contribution Award” of the First National Youth Games, “Safe Campus”, etc. Reports about FUIST from multiple angles could be seen in CCTV, www.gov.cn, the website of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Guangming Daily, China Education Daily, People.cn, gmw.cn, www.ce.cn, Fujian Daily, Fujian TV, Fujian Education TV, Fuzhou Daily and other mainstream media.