Chongqing University is a nationally famed comprehensive key university in China, directly under the State Ministry of Education, also a university listed among the first group of "211 Project" universities. Founded in 1929, Chongqing University had become a national comprehensive university consisting of six colleges in 1940s, thus earned a prestige both domestic and abroad then for its outstanding performance in schooling.
At present, Chongqing University runs 24 colleges or faculties, as well as the Graduate school, the City College, the College of Continuing Education, the College of Networking Education. The University now has a total enrollment of 57, 472 students, of which 12,000 are master's and doctoral students. It owns 15 mobile workstations for postdoctoral study, 16 preliminary-level programs and 60 secondary-level programs for doctoral study, 182 programs for master's degree study as well as 4 specialized master's degree programs, 75 bachelor's degree programs and 7 associate degree programs.
Currently, the university has a total number of 5,834 faculty and staff members, among which 2,623 are full-time teachers, 10 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and of the Chinese Academy of Science (including academicians engaged from other institutions), 5 members of the Subject Appraisal Team of the Degree Committee under the State Council, 15 titled the state-level middle-aged or young experts with distinguished contribution, 171 doctoral tutors, 301 experts awarded the governmental allowance, 1,519 full professors and associate professors.
It has established 2 national teaching bases for fundamental courses and a national quality education base for college students, 5 national key labs and ministerial key labs, 17 provincial key labs, and 93 labs of different specialties. Moreover, Chongqing University has constructed the distance education center, multi-media classrooms of large scale and interactive audio-visual classrooms, labs or training centers in cooperation with world famous enterprises.
Chongqing University attaches importance to international academic exchange and cooperation. It has established inter-school exchange links with 32 institutions of higher education in 13 countries such as the USA, England, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Australia, Holland, Japan, South Korea, Russia, etc. Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, Chongqing University has sent nearly 3000 teachers abroad for further study, attending international academic conference, or for academic visit or inspection; and received over 7200 overseas scholars including some world famous scholars, the university has forged cooperative relations with about 20 prestigious international corporations or institutions such as Siemens, Rockwell Automation, IBM, Microsoft, Lipo Group, New York Life Insurance, Omron, FUNUC and etc.
Chongqing University is a university specified by the Ministry of Education to receive overseas students who are granted the Chinese Government Scholarship. Up to now, overseas students from over 20 countries have come to Chongqing University for study. In 2003, there were 110 international students enrolled to Chongqing University, studying for PhD degrees, Master's degrees, bachelor's degrees, or just studying Chinese language.
Looking into the future, catching the historical opportunity of the West Development and of the joint financial support from the state Ministry of Education and Chongqing Municipal government, Chongqing University is fully committed to implementing the strategy of "prospering the country and Chongqing city with science-and-technology and education", sticking to its education philosophy of "taking root in Chongqing, finding a foothold in the Southwest, facing the West, Serving the whole nation, stepping towards the world", carrying forward its excellent schooling tradition, striving for the realization of its goal of developing Chongqing University into a first-class comprehensive research university in China, with unique characteristics and international fame.