Qinghai Nationalities University

Qinghai Nationalities University (hereafter as “QNU”), founded on December 12th 1949, is the first institution of higher education in modern sense in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. QUN started to admit master candidates in the orientation of Tibetan Language and Literature and ethnic history since 1979. In 1981, QUN was granted as the first batch of authorized master’s degree programs by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, remarking the first unit to develop degree and graduate education in Qinghai Province . In 2011, People's government of Qinghai Province and The State Ethnic Affairs Commission signed agreement to make joint efforts to build Qinghai Nationalities University. In 2018, QUN was granted the Doctoral degree units of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and approved the first-level discipline to award the doctoral degree in ethnonymics. Since the school was founded, it has always adhered to the orientation in socialist education, shouldering the dual mission of the Party’s educational work and national work, implementing the fundamental task of establishing morality, serving the development of ethnic regions and national strategic needs. QUN strives forward with the motherland and the times, writing a magnificent chapter of Qinghai's high education spirit.

Located in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Facing ethnic areas, QUN keeps in mind the purpose of running universities for ethnic minorities and ethnic minority areas, and sticks to the orientation of running universities for ethnic minorities. Till now, there are about 100 thousand graduates who come from the minority areas and serve the ethnic minority areas, especially the Tibet area. Among them, about 50 thousand graduates devote their efforts in Qinghai Tibetan districts, about 8 thousand worked in Tibet Autonomous Region and Xinjiang Provence. Distinguished alumni including 45 administrative officials at provincial and ministerial levels, over 1300 administrative officials at departmental and bureau level, 120 specialists who enjoy the State Council Special Allowance, about 600 senior professional and technical personnels, as well as Jason Sonanda, the pioneer in reform, have been contributing to the career in democratic reform, national unity, social stability, economic development, ecological protection and various other undertakings. Currently, there are 14953 full-time students from the Han, Tibetan, Hui, Tu, Sara, Mongolian and other ethnic groups from 29 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and the minority students totals 8334, accounting for 55.73% among all the students.

QNU enjoys the strategy of strengthening the school with talents. Thus, it has attracted masters such as Li Wenshi, Xia Ridong, Mi yizhi, Hu Anliang, Qi shunlai, Mao Jizu, Jia Xiuru, Wu Qixun. The well-known scholars and young talents have greatly improved the level of talent training and the academic influence of the school at home and abroad. At present, there are 1144 faculty members in QNU, including 159 senior staffs, 240 associate senior title personnel. Among all the faculty members, there are 745 full-time teachers including 585 doctors or masters, 1 leading personnel of the National High-level Talents Special Support Plan, 1 leading personnel titled as Cultural Celebrities by Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, 15 experts enjoying the State Council Special Allowance,1 National Outstanding Teacher, 2 awarded as National Outstanding Young Teacher, 5 National Excellent Teachers, 1 National Model Teachers, 2 selected candidates of Millions of Talent National Projects, 5 Winners of Education Ministry's New Century Excellent Talents Supporting Plan.   

QNU attaches great importance to first-class disciplines and first-class professional construction. The humanities and social disciplines have always been in a dominant position in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area. Along with some other science and engineering disciplines including new energy, new materials, salt lake chemical industry, Tibetan medicine and other disciplines, the discipline construction in QNU have scaled features. Currently, there are 24 colleges(including Qinghai Executive Leadership Network Academy), 1 first-level discipline of authorized doctor’s degree programs, 12 first-level discipline of authorized master’s degree programs, 98 second-level discipline of authorized master’s degree programs, 6 professional master's programs and 57 undergraduate programs, forming an educational system which is able to train doctors, postgraduates and undergraduates. QNU has a comprehensive range of disciplines covering categories: humanities, science, law, economy, management, education, history, medicine and engineering. Among the disciplines, undergraduate majors in humanities and social sciences totals 33, accounting for 57.89%, and undergraduate majors in science and engineering totals 24, accounting for 42.11%, which form a relatively comprehensive layout of the liberal arts, science, and engineering disciplines.   

Taking root in Qinghai, QNU serves national strategies and carries out scientific research on the basis of the era. Thus, QNU has achieved a series of landmark results with important theoretical and practical value. In the recent 5 years, QNU has undertaken 787 scientific projects including 3 major tendering projects of National Social Science Fund, 6 key projects, 3 lost-knowledge-projects, 1 major authorized item by Ministry of Education on Philosophy and Social Sciences, 1 key project by Ministry of Education, 342 scientific research projects at national and ministerial level. Meanwhile, QNU has won 64 national, ministerial and municipal awards for research findings, published 339 textbooks and 1821 research papers and provided about 70 think-tank reports for governments at all levels. Nowadays, there are 6 state-level scientific research institutions including the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Ethnic Research Base, 8 provincial-level research institutions including the Institute of Ethnic Studies and 20 school-level research institutions, 1 state-level key laboratory, 1 state-level experimental teaching demonstration center , 8 provincial key laboratories, 5 provincial experimental teaching demonstration centers; 13 provincial and ministerial key disciplines, 4 national specialties, 2 national first-class undergraduate professional construction sites, 1 national teaching team , 3 national-level quality courses, 2 national-level quality resources sharing courses, 1 national-level open video course, 24 provincial-level quality courses, 19 provincial-level key course,1 academician workstation, 1 national-level training base for outstanding legal talents, and 1 pilot program for comprehensive reform of the first batch of undergraduate majors in local universities. And there are 4 academic journals published publicly at home and abroad, which include Qinghai Journal of Ethnology, Journal of Qinghai Nationalities University(Philosophy and Social Sciences), Journal of Qinghai Nationalities University(Tibetan), Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Forum. Among them, Qinghai Journal of Ethnology has been selected into the core journals recognized by Peking University, Nanjing University and Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Journal of Qinghai Nationalities University(Philosophy and Social Sciences) has been selected intoin CSSCI.

QNU consists of three campuses:Dongxu, Xikun, Nanshan, covering an area of more than 1,500 acres and a construction area of 495,000 square meters. The current-account value of fixed assets is about 634 million yuan,including the total value of teaching instruments and equipment 169 million yuan;the collection of paper books totals 1.5705 million and the e-books 936,700.Among them, there are 120,000 ethnic books,1667 letters of the Tibetan Tripitaka. The numbers of Chinese ancient books totals 3166 and it volumes 78750(including 380 reliable texts). 23 ancient books are selected into the Catalog of National Rare Books of China. With 106 books per student, QNU is the largest collection of Chinese and Tibetan ancient books on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially the largest collection of precious ancient books Colleges. A multi-purpose gymnasium with a capacity of more than 3,000 people and ample sports venues have been built, and a 16,000-square-meter college student activity center is under construction.

The school attaches great importance to exchanges with universities and scientific research institutions at home and abroad, and is now working with 39 institutions in 12 countries and regions, including the University of Virginia in the United States, Dresden University of Technology in Germany, Nanshan University in Japan, Malaya University in Malaysia, Ulaanbaatar University in Mongolia, Hannam University, Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. Responding to the Belt and Road Initiative, QNU establishes Central Asia Institute and three Country and Regional Research Bases. Center for central Asia and Turkmenistan studies, and the Himalaya Mountain Countries Studies are approved as a key research base of the National Civil Affairs Commission. Nowadays, there are 154 overseas students, training the most foreign students in Qinghai Province. At home, the Ministry of Education has arranged for Tianjin University, Xiamen University and Renmin University of China to support Qinghai University for Nationalities. Central University for Nationalities and Beijing University of Technology have also established an inter-school counterpart relationship with our university.   

Based on the profound school foundation and good development momentum, QNU is scientifically proven to plan to build the school by 2025 with distinctive characteristics, complete training system, reasonable subject professional structure, obvious advantages of subject characteristics, high teaching quality, strong ability in cultivating, beautiful campus environment and rich cultural atmosphere to achieve a certain influence and popularity at home and abroad. By 2035, the overall level will be first-class in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the most influential high-level university in the Tibetan region. By the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the school in 2049, QNU aims to achieve a first-class university in the western region with major influence and popularity at home and abroad.