History, Affiliations, and Rankings
Peking University (commonly known as “Beida”) is one of China's oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions. It is a public university in Beijing, China, located in the Haidian District. The university was founded in 1898 and is renowned as China's First National University in Modern History. It was renamed Peaking University in 1912. The university is a member of the C9 League, an organization in China similar to the Ivy League in the United States. Peking also has some academic and international affiliations with organisations such as the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities (AALAU), Association of East Asian Research Universities, McDonnell International Scholars Academy and more. Peking University is a well-known and renowned university in modern China with a long history. It is ranked at #18 and #=16 in the QS World University Rankings 2022 and THE World University Rankings 2022. The university is also ranked #45 in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities 2021. Peking University is also ranked #51 globally by US News & World Report's Best Global University Rankings for 2022.
Infrastructure, Campuses, and Courses
Peking University is known for having one of the world's most beautiful campuses. The university also has a campus in the United Kingdom, Peking University HSBC Business School. The Beijing campus in China is reminiscent of a summer castle, and the Weiming Lake Area is close by. If you visit in the autumn, you will be able to appreciate the university's extraordinary beauty as well as the calm and peace it offers. With 7.331 million volumes and Chinese and foreign publications and newspapers, the Peking University library is Asia's most extensive university library. The library is also a contemporary information centre with many resources. Peking University students have access to diverse and active campus life. Peking University has 9 national key laboratories, 124 state key laboratories, 2 national engineering research centres, and 10 affiliated hospitals and health centres. Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Health Science Center, Economics and Management, and Information and Engineering are the six faculties that make up the university. There are 49 schools and departments in the university, with 128 undergraduate, 285 graduate, and 262 doctorate programmes.
Accomplishments and Alumni
Peking University is also noted for its excellent research facilities and highly trained lecturers and researchers with broad research interests and comprehensive expertise. The university is also a member of the C9 League, China's equivalent of the Ivy League. It is frequently listed among China's best higher education schools. Peking University also prioritises academic exchange and collaboration with international institutions, research institutes, and global corporations. More than 200 universities in 50 countries and regions have forged partnerships with the university. The School of International Studies at Peking University has also started combined degree programmes with the London School of Economics, Waseda University, Seoul National University, and the University of Tokyo. Peking also has a long-standing association with Stanford University, which runs the Stanford Facility at Peking University, a cooperative research centre and headquarters for Stanford students and academics. More than 400 Peking University alumni have become presidents of other prominent Chinese institutions in the last several decades. Some of the notable alumni of this prestigious university include Feng Youlan (Chinese philosopher), Michael Halliday (Linguist), Fu Sinian (Historian), Justin Yifu Lin (Chinese economist) and more.
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
Peking University had 16,328 undergraduate students, 17,830 graduate students, and 11,816 doctorate applicants in December 2019. There were also roughly 6,857 long-term international students enrolled in various programmes on campus, representing 116 different countries. On the other hand, Peking University was placed 9th in the world in the QS 2018 Graduate Employability Ranking for business schools.