Jilin University

Overview

Jilin University (JLU) is a public research university located in Changchun, Jilin in China, with seven campuses in six districts. It is classified as a Class A Double First Class University; that is, it is part of the Chinese government’s initiative to elevate select universities to world-class level going into the future. JLU is under the administration of China’s Ministry of Education. It consistently ranks among the best universities in the country.

The university sees to the academic pursuits of nearly 75,000 students, around 27,000 of whom take graduate studies. They are matched by over 2,000 professors and another nearly 2,000 doctoral advisors. Foreign students total over 2,000 in a given year.

Jilin University offers a range of multidisciplinary degree programs including 129 bachelor’s degree programs, over 300 master’s degree programs, and more than 40 graduate degree programs. The academic programs are organized in 9 divisions. These include the Division of Humanities, Division of Social Sciences, Division of Sciences, Division of Engineering and Division of Information Sciences. Other divisions administer courses in health sciences, agricultural sciences, earth sciences, and interdisciplinary research.

Under each division, the courses are spread across JLU’s 47 colleges of various disciplines in, among others, science, engineering, economics, philosophy, history, agriculture, medicine, management, art and military science. Jilin University also houses an Applied Technology College, College of Economical Information, and College of Business Administration.

The university runs important facilities in China. These include 18 laboratories for various government ministries, 10 laboratories for the Ministry of Education, 6 national-local joint laboratories. Specifically, these include 6 humanities and social science key research centers, 5 key laboratories, a national engineering laboratory, and a national engineering and technology research center.

Furthermore, JLU has 50 multimedia and language AVP classrooms, several sports facilities like gymnasiums, arenas and stadiums. For one, it manages the Nanling Campus Stadium, which seats 10,000 people.

Jilin University is also an active participant in international exchanges. It has established agreements with nearly 290 universities and colleges and research centers around the world. Among others, its internationally-acclaimed research projects involve pursuits in chemistry, computer science, engineering and biology. JLU is also backed by China’s state key projects that aim to elevate the research standards of an elite group of universities in the country. The university library, meantime, archives over 7.5 million books and is also a designated library of UNESCO, UNIDO, and World Bank.

The university started as the Northeast College of Administration in 1946 before going through several mergers with other universities and colleges. Notable alumni include Liu Yangong (vice premier of China), Liu Xiaobo (Nobel laureate), and DuQinglin (vice chairman, Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference).