Founded by China’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE) is the only international university specialized in finance in East China. By adhering to the motto “Integrity, Tolerance, Erudition, Pragmatism,” the university is committed to providing quality education in trade and economics, and is named as the “cradle of professionals in trade and economics.”
Shanghai University of International Business and Economics was established in 1960, and since then, it has developed a wide range of disciplines covering five major categories: economics, management, arts, law, and science. With the School of International Studies, School of Languages, School of Finance, School of Law, School of Statistics and Information, School of WTO Research and Education, School of International Education, and others, it now offers 30 bachelor’s programs, 4 master’s programs of first-level discipline, and 41 master’s programs of second-level discipline. Currently, SUIBE has over 1,000 full-time faculty and staff, over 10,000 undergraduates and postgraduates, and over 2,000 international students.
With the goal of “building a high-level, international, and application-oriented research university with unique features,” SUIBE attaches great importance to the internationalization of talent training and discipline development. SUIBE is one of the earliest universities in China to conduct research on international economic laws, trade rules, and related legal issues under the multilateral framework. It also plays an important role in providing theoretical support and decision-making consulting services for national strategies, including negotiations of China’s re-entry to GATT and accession to WTO, Shanghai's “four centers” strategy and the establishment of free trade zones.
Student exchange is a crucial part of SUIBE’s efforts in internationalization. SUIBE actively carries out exchanges and cooperation with universities and colleges from home and abroad, and so far, it has entered into partnership with over 100 schools, including Oxford University. Students now have access to various short-term holiday programs, as well as semester and academic year exchange programs. The university also sets up special funds to subsidize students’ overseas studies and internships. In 2017, over 450 students at SUIBE took part in overseas programs.
Meanwhile, SUIBE has been actively improving education for international students. Currently, it is one of the host universities of the Chinese Government Scholarship and the Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarship, and the host university of the Shanghai Summer School’s Oceania Project. SUIBE is also a member of the Standing Committee of International Student Management Branch of China Association of Higher Education, and the Vice Chair of Shanghai Research Association of Education for International Students. At present, there are more than 2200 international students from over 110 countries studying at SUIBE. In 2016, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission designated SUIBE as “Service Center (Gubei) for International Students,” a district-level service center for international students.
At present, both the Chinese Central Government and Shanghai Municipal Government are pressing ahead with the Double First-Class Initiative and the comprehensive reform of higher education, striving to build a world-class university and world-class disciplines. SUIBE will work towards the goal of “building a high-level, international, and application-oriented research university with unique features,” continue to implement the reform and opening up policy, promote the internationalization of education, and introduce constant reform and innovation, so as to open up a new chapter in the development of the university.