Qinghai University is located in Xining, the “Summer Capital,” a highland ancient city on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The university traces its roots back to the Qinghai Institute of Technology, founded in 1958. In November 1960, it merged with the Qinghai Institute of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai Medical College, and Qinghai Institute of Finance and Economics to form Qinghai University, which was dissolved in 1969. In 1971, the Qinghai Institute of Technology and Agriculture was reestablished, offering programs in engineering and agriculture. In 1988, the name Qinghai University was restored. In October 1997, the Qinghai Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine was incorporated into Qinghai University. In January 2001, the Qinghai Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, the Qinghai Academy of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, and the Qinghai Vocational College of Finance and Economics were placed under the administration of Qinghai University. In 2004, Qinghai Medical College was integrated into the university, forming the new Qinghai University.
Today, Qinghai University has developed into a teaching-and-research-oriented university that promotes the coordinated development of disciplines including engineering, science, agriculture, medicine, economics, management, law, and interdisciplinary studies. Since 2001, six prestigious universities—Tsinghua University, Northwest A&F University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology—have successively provided paired assistance to Qinghai University, creating a “1+5” partnership framework. In 2004, the university became a “provincial-ministerial co-construction” university jointly established by the People’s Government of Qinghai Province and the Ministry of Education. In 2008, it was designated as a key university under China’s “Project 211.” In 2012, it was selected among the 14 universities in the “National Plan for Enhancing the Comprehensive Strength of Universities in Central and Western China.” In 2016, it became one of the first batch of 100 model universities for innovation and entrepreneurship in China. In 2017, it was included in the national “World-Class Discipline Construction” initiative. In 2018, it became a “ministry-province co-construction” university jointly supported by the Ministry of Education and the People’s Government of Qinghai Province. In 2019, the Lancang-Mekong Youth Innovation Competition series was featured in the “Large Exhibition Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China.” In 2020, the university received the honorary title of “National Civilized Campus.” In 2021, it was approved to offer four first-level doctoral degree programs, including Hydraulic Engineering and Grassland Science, ranking third nationally in the number of newly approved programs. In 2022, it was successfully selected as one of China’s 147 new “Double First-Class” construction universities, with its Ecology discipline once again included in the “World-Class Discipline” construction plan.
The university covers an area of over 3,000 mu (approx. 200 hectares) and enrolls students from across the globe and from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. It has nearly 28,000 full-time enrolled students, including nearly 22,000 undergraduates and over 6,000 postgraduates. Currently, the university has 2,248 faculty and staff members (excluding those at the affiliated hospital), with over 900 doctoral degree holders among the full-time teaching staff.
Qinghai University currently has 1 world-class discipline, 2 national key (cultivation) disciplines, 5 key disciplines under “Project 211,” 4 provincial first-class construction disciplines, 2 provincial first-class construction disciplines, 3 ministry-province co-construction advantageous discipline clusters, and 46 provincial key disciplines. It offers 7 first-level doctoral degree programs, 21 first-level master’s degree programs, 1 interdisciplinary master’s degree program, 191 second-level master’s degree programs, 18 professional master’s degree categories covering 135 specialized fields, and 1 postdoctoral research station. Seven disciplines rank in the top 1% globally according to ESI. The university offers 66 undergraduate programs, including 6 national characteristic programs, 4 national teaching teams, 1 national model innovation experimental zone for talent cultivation, 1 national experimental teaching demonstration center, 3 national high-quality video open courses, 20 national first-class courses, 21 national first-class undergraduate program construction sites, 9 national outstanding engineer/non-engineering education training program projects, 1 national comprehensive professional reform project, 2 national virtual teaching and research sections, 2 national Huang Danian-style teaching teams, 1 national ideological and political education master studio, 3 national teaching masters, and 2 industrial teaching masters. The university also houses 1 state key laboratory, 3 branch state key laboratories, 3 national-local joint engineering laboratories (research centers), 1 national field scientific observation and research station, 4 key laboratories of the Ministry of Education, 2 engineering research centers of the Ministry of Education, 1 field scientific observation and research station of the Ministry of Education, 1 philosophy and social sciences laboratory of the Ministry of Education, 9 laboratories (centers) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 1 field observation station of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 2 key laboratories (engineering research centers) of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, 1 key laboratory of the Ministry of Water Resources (under construction), and 2 collaborative innovation centers of the Ministry of Education. Additionally, it has 4 provincial laboratories, 19 provincial key university laboratories, and 23 provincial key science and technology laboratories.
The university currently employs 9 dual-appointed academicians, 71 distinguished professors, 7 “Changjiang Scholars” distinguished professors, 2 “Changjiang Scholars” young project recipients, 2 experts under the National “Thousand Talents Plan,” 2 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 26 national-level talents selected into the “Ten Thousand Talents Plan,” the “National Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Project,” and the Ministry of Education’s “New Century Excellent Talents Support Plan,” 45 experts receiving the “Special Government Allowance of the State Council,” and 20 recipients of awards such as the National Innovation and Competition Award, the Hong Kong Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Innovation Award, the Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation Young Teacher Award, the China Overseas Chinese (Innovative Talent) Contribution Award, and the Third World Academy of Sciences’ Global Sole Basic Medical Science Award. More than 30 individuals have been honored as national or provincial teaching masters, outstanding teachers, or educators, and over 60 individuals as provincial outstanding experts or outstanding professional and technical personnel. The university has 1,174 individuals and 42 teams selected under the Qinghai Province “High-End Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent” program, and 271 individuals designated as provincial “135” high-level talents or leaders in natural science, engineering, and technology disciplines. One team has been selected into the “Ministry of Education Innovation Team Development Program,” and 16 research teams have been designated as “Qinghai Provincial Talent Bases.”
The university actively promotes the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, and proactively serves national strategies and regional economic and social development. It has developed distinctive disciplinary advantages and educational characteristics in areas such as Sanjiangyuan ecological protection, plateau agriculture and animal husbandry, plateau medicine, Tibetan medicine and pharmacology, salt lake chemistry, and new energy and materials. It has cultivated a large number of application-oriented talents, making significant contributions to Qinghai’s economic construction and social development.
Since 2016, the university has secured 4,330 research projects, including 11 National Key R&D Programs, with total research funding exceeding 2.78 billion RMB. It has produced 1,293 evaluated scientific and technological achievements. The university has won 1 second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 3 National Excellence and Innovation Awards, 182 provincial/ministerial-level or higher awards, and 4 Qinghai Provincial Grand Awards for Science and Technology. It has published over 23,139 academic papers in domestic and international journals.
Qinghai University adheres to an open-door policy and continuously strengthens external exchanges and cooperation. It has signed memoranda of exchange and cooperation with universities, research institutions, and government agencies from more than 30 countries and regions, engaging in practical collaboration. The university has joined international cooperation and exchange networks such as the “Silk Road Agricultural Education and Technology Innovation Alliance” and the “Lancang-Mekong Universities Alliance.” It has been selected for the “Higher Education Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Program (111 Plan)” and approved for the “Tibetan Medicine International Cooperation Base (Qinghai).” The “Three Brothers” partnership among Tsinghua University, the University of Auckland, and Qinghai University continues to thrive, becoming a highlight of China-New Zealand people-to-people and cultural exchanges. International exchanges and cooperation are continuously expanding in an all-round, multi-field, distinctive, and high-level manner.
Standing at a new historical starting point, the university upholds its motto—'Aim as high as the Kunlun Mountains, strive as far as the great rivers'—carries forward the new Qinghai spirit, remains committed to fostering virtue and cultivating talent, supports the innovation-driven development strategy, and serves economic and social development. It strives to build itself into a distinctive, high-level modern university. (Note: The above data are as of March 1, 2026.)"
