Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (SWUFE) is one of the premier universities in fields of finance and economics in China. It is directly under the Ministry of Education and also one of the top 100 universities in the nation’s 211 Project, a national initiative to build 100 first-class universities in the 21st century.

The University was created as Sichuan Institute of Finance and Economics in 1952, when the colleges and departments of business and economics from 17 universities were restructured. In 1980, People’s Bank of China (PBC), China’s central bank took over the governance of the University and renamed it SWUFE in 1985. PBC governed the University till February 2000, when the governance was transferred to the Ministry of Education. The University features a strong faculty of scholarly excellence and professional dedication. In 2001 SWUFE built Liu Lin campus in Wenjiang District, west of Guanghua campus to establish modern teaching functions for the new century. Liu Lin campus has now been fulfilling complete functions.

During the 2004 National Teaching Level Assessment carried out by the Education Department, SWUFE was rated excellent, indicating that SWUFE has been ranking as one of the top universities in talent training. By now, the university has won 66 teaching achievements awarded at national, provincial and departmental levels.

More than half century of development, especially the intensified efforts since 1995 within the 211 Project frameworks, has greatly enhanced the University’s administrative and academic resources. We offer 37 doctoral, 67 master and 32 bachelor’s degree programs in and among 27 University’s departments and schools. These programs are distributed over the areas of business, industry, economics, liberal arts, and law that feature a coordinated pattern with financial programs as core and economics and management programs as mainstream. The University has 3 mobile post-doctoral stations including theoretical economics, applied economics and business administration; 4 key disciplines registered at the ministerial level, i.e., Finance, Political Economics, Accounting and Statistics; and 31 key disciplines at the provincial level; 5 key disciplines registered at provincial first level including Applied Economics, Theoretic Economics, Law, Business Administration, Managerial Science and Engineering.

In addition, the University is home to 3 teaching/research centers ratified by the Ministry of Education, i.e., National Center for Economics Teaching, National Center for Liberal Arts and Humanities Education of University Students, and SWUFE China Finance Research Center. The University is the first institution authorized to train MBA and CPA in southwestern China. SWUFE sponsors over 30 interdisciplinary and specialized research and teaching centers and enters into partnership with foreign education and business organizations, among them the Center for PBC Simulated Banking Labs, Center for Business Foreign Languages Training (BFT) and China Actuary Training Center.

SWUFE is an important knowledge contributor to China’s financial industry and western region economic research with its some 18 research institutes, including China Finance Research Center and West China Economic Research Center. Since reform and opening up, it has produced nearly 18,000 research findings, successfully completed over 400 national/ provincial research projects, and received over 300 awards for research results at national and provincial (ministerial) levels. The Research Division was awarded by the Ministry of Education Leading National Research Administration of Higher Learning Institutions. The University Press has won the honor of Excellent Press by State Press and Publications Administration and Excellent Press of Higher Learning Institutions by Ministry of Education for three times in six consecutive years. The University’s journal the Economist is the excellent national social sciences journal, and Science of Finance and Economics is awarded the First Top 100 National Social Science journals.

Members of teaching/research, library, administration, and supportive faculties number more than 1656, among who over 1030 work in teaching/research 174 professors, over 264 associate professors, and 159 doctor supervisors. The University is proud to have Liu Shibai, Zeng Kanglin, He Zerong, Zhao Guoliang, Jiang Mingxin and many other nation-wide renowned economists and management experts on its faculty. Moreover, 486 prominent economists, bankers, and senior corporate executives are invited to serve as professors emeritus. Among the teachers, 2 of whom have won the ‘National Prominent teacher’, 35 of whom enjoy the special bonus granted by the State Council, 3 of whom are ‘Chang Jiang Scholars’ of the Chinese Education Department; 4 of whom won ‘National Excellent Young Teacher’; 2 of whom qualified for ‘Thousands Talents Project’; 6 of whom are funded by Huo Yingdong Youth Teacher Award; and 27 of whom are leaders in Sichuan Academics. By now the university has also recruited 55 full-time overseas doctors, 23 lecture professors and 15 curriculum professors. Since 2007, 6 renowned overseas professors have been hired as deans of schools.

The University’s total full-time student population of nearly 22,819 includes about 16,451 undergraduate, over 4,920 master level postgraduate students, over 990 Ph.D. candidates, and some 40,000 various degree program students. 50 years since its foundation, the University has turned out over 130,000 graduates, many of whom hold important positions in every kind of organization, from major financial institutions, companies to government agencies, ranking top in Chinese universities, and SWUFE is also renowned as China Financial Talents Base. The graduates mainly flow to Finance, Insurance, Securities, Business Administration, related Government financial offices, universities and Research Institutes. Many of them have been grown into leaders in the corresponding research fields and some are now working in IMF, World Bank or teach in world famous universities.

SWUFE has also built up cooperative relationship with over 50 universities, institutions and companies from 30 countries. The annual China Finance Forum and cross-straight Accounting Statistics and Finance Academics Forum have stirred great influence in China. The Financial Services Center co-built with Oracle Ltd., China Insurance Accountant Training Center co-built with Avia Insurance Corp., and etc was all set up.

Students of SWUFE have taken part in FLTRP (Foreign Language Trade Research Press) Debate Competition, Challenge Cup Extracurricular Academic Innovation Competition, Deloitte Taxation Talents Competition, JESSUP, and National Logistics Design Competition and won first prize. The University has always committed to enhance the overall quality of educational experience and the caliber of faculty, and it has achieved very well. In recent years, it has won over 20 awards for research results at national and provincial (ministerial) levels. The University’s Dean’s Office and Graduate School were respectively awarded by Ministry of Education Leading Chinese University Dean’s Offices and Best Graduate Schools in Teaching and Administration. 

The University has modern teaching-and-research facilities, quality athletic and logistic service hardware enhanced with easy Internet and fiber optical connections. The University’s main library houses over 2.32 million volumes (including electronic copies) with 50 self-built database. The China Financial Database Center now employs the application software co-developed by Oracle Ltd. and Michigan University and collects financial daters covering the recent 20 years, making it ‘Chinese Financial Information Harbor’. Covering an area of 125 acres, SWUFE maintains a beautiful campus full of lawns, trees and gardens. It has been listed as a fine model of forestation and Garden-Style Campus by the government. The university also built advanced web-teaching environment, teaching resources database, and establish a network that covers every dormitory room which is also one of the best in Chinese financial and economic schools. By now the school has 3 sports stadiums, 2 gyms, 57 ball courts and 2 standard swimming pools.

In order to better meet the requirements of global and domestic economic development in the 21st century, SWUFE is ready to take the opportunities and face the challenges, to inherit and enhance the existing characteristics and good culture of the university, and to endeavor to build SWUFE into one of the best domestic universities with world reputation in the middle of this century when the university celebrates its 100th anniversary.