Zhang Qian, Cui Chenxin

zhqcindy@163.com

THE China-Russia jointly built university, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University, will enroll 155 undergraduate students, including 25 international students, for the school year commencing in September, the university announced yesterday during its Open Day.

The university will also enroll 51 postgraduate students this year. These new students will be the university’s second batch since it started accepting students last year.

According to Zhao Ping, president of the university, there are currently eight international students and the long-term goal of the university is to have around 30 percent of the students coming from overseas.

We are also mapping out plans to take doctoral students this year because the university aims to become a top research university,” said the president yesterday.

Shenzhen MSU-BIT University is a nonprofit higher education institution jointly established by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Lomonosov Moscow State University and Beijing Institute of Technology. The establishment of the university is considered the largest social and cultural project between China and Russia.

For Chinese students, securing a place at the university requires a first-tier result on the National College Entrance Exams (also known as gaokao), a satisfactory performance on an independent exam designed by the university, which is going to be held today, as well as excellent academic results in high school.

Around 850 gaokao takers from all around China will sit for the independent exam at the university’s transitional campus in Longgang District today. They are competing for just 130 places this year, according to Han Baoling, director of the university’s admissions office.

According to Han, the university will continue to offer four majors for future students, namely math and applied math, material science and engineering, international economy and trade, and Russian studies. The first two majors will accept 30 students each, and the other two majors will enroll 35 students each.

One of the key characteristics of the jointly built university is that it places high value on the Russian language and culture. About 50 percent of the faculty members are directly from Lomonosov Moscow State University, and each student is required to master both Russian and English.

The university organized an Open Day yesterday so prospective students and their parents could learn more about it. A mother from Anhui Province surnamed He told the Shenzhen Daily that she has been paying close attention to this university because of its special position as a collaborative university between China and Russia. The family planned to stay in Shenzhen for five days so the daughter could sit for the independent exam today and travel around to learn more about the city.

“Shenzhen is a very modern and promising city for young people, so we hope our daughter can study at this university,” said He.

Currently students are taking courses at the university’s transitional campus. The university will move to its permanent campus, which features Russian-style architecture as well as classic Chinese gardens, in the autumn of 2019.

The permanent campus, covering an area of 334,000 square meters, has received 2.04 billion yuan (US$318 million) in investment from the Shenzhen Municipal Government, according to Lu Wanwei, the university’s Party secretary.