Northwest University

Founded in 1902, Northwest University (NWU) in Xi'An is one of the leading comprehensive universities and also one of the oldest institutions of learning in Northwest China. Located in the ancient Chinese capital city of Xi'an, the university covers an area of 55 hectares with a total floor space of 290,000 square meters. Moreover, Northwest University is listed in the Encyclopedia Britannica as a world-famous Chinese university. The university also has a publishing house named Northwest University Press, an academic periodical called Journal of Northwest University, and a modern education technology center.

Nowadays, the university is increasingly focused on international academic and personal exchanges. When China started to reform in 1978, the university began to established cooperation and exchange relations with nearly 30 institutions of higher education in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Northwest University has 21 colleges and departments, including 69 undergraduate programs, 69 masters programs and 46 doctoral programs. Since 1965, the university has accepted more than 5,000 international students. All specialties at Northwest are open to international students provided they have met the university's acceptance requirements.

One of the most famous colleges is the College of International Cultural Exchanges (CICE), which was established in 1922 and is responsible for the admission of overseas students. CICE also offers degree and non-degree courses in Mandarin Chinese language. The courses in non-degree programs can be 4 and 8 weeks in length, as well as one semester and one year in length, and where the number of students in each class is at least 15.

The main courses include Chinese listening, speaking, writing, grammar and reading. Optional elective courses are held in the afternoon which can include calligraphy, painting, folk music, taiji boxing, Chinese music, Buddhist art, and etc.

The Northwest University focuses on teaching and research and it has achieved a good balance between the arts and science. There are more than 2,300 faculty and staff members, among whom 600 are professors and associate professors. In addition, there are also more than 30 tutors for Master Degree candidates. Most of them have been educated abroad and have received many awards from China and other countries, including Special National Award for Excellent Teaching Result, National Award for Excellent Teaching Result, and Provincial Award for Excellent Teaching Result.

The Chinese Language and Culture Department at Northwest University has highly qualified and experienced teachers to teach Chinese language and culture to foreign students. All teachers have the Teaching Qualification Certificates issued by the Ministry of Education. The department has more than 30 members in the International Chinese Language Department. The teachers are all expert native Chinese speakers who have advanced teaching methods and who have made great teaching contributions.

Library

The library contains over 2.2 million volumes of books and has a massive collection of periodicals and journals. Northwest University Library is the largest library in Northwest China and it covers an area of 15,000 square meters. The collection includes history, economics, science and technology, business and foreign language books. There are many precious books and documents in its collection.

The library also provides computer rooms where students can use the internet, print, send fax and photocopy facilities. The academic computing center is very useful to support the students academic program needs. The Foreign Book Stack Room stores 175,000 volumes of books and over 40,000 volumes from 1,200 periodicals. Books on natural science, engineering, history, philosophy, literature, economics, arts, are available in many languages. These collections, praised as "a small encyclopedic treasury", play an important role in the university's academic and research projects.

Overseen by knowledgeable support staff, this facility provides network and internet access for academic programs, professional and personal research. The library web page provides easy access to the local catalog of Northwest university's library holdings. The web page also provides links to online databases and other information sources.

The online databases provide full text articles as well as citations to other articles. All of the databases are available to registered Northwest University students from computers on campus or any computer globally that is connected to the internet. Many other resources are available at the library web page. Reference staff are available for consultation for any information needs. The library has attracted a large number of visitors including many state leaders and well-known domestic and overseas scholars and experts.

Recreation Facilities

The Northwest University provides various student activities centers, athletic field, basketball courts, tennis courts, table tennis room, piano room, gymnasium, etc. for students use. There are also some bars and karaoke near the campus. A visit to the world-famous Terracotta Army in Xi'an should not be missed.

Laundry

Washing facilities are provided on each floor of international student dormitories.Students can buy a magnetic card to use these machines. A Laundromat on campus offers dry cleaning service, while a bigger one is located outside near the campus gate.

Medical Care

A Chinese clinic is located inside campus. Open 24 hours a day with Chinese speaking staff and providing Chinese medicine. Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital is just 1.75 km southeast of campus. As the biggest hospital in Xi'an, this hospital has foreign and Chinese doctors. Well-stocked pharmacies provide Western medicine and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) ingredients. It is open 24 hours and payment can be made by cash or card.

Food & Groceries

The dining room offers various kinds of food, including Muslim food such as baked beef and mutton, buns with beef and other such regional dishes. Students can eat delicious food at a low price for just around 13 RMB per day. For other options, there are a lot of Western, Korean and Japanese restaurants nearby.

A convenience store is also located on campus, which sells various kinds of food, drinks and some household items. A larger grocery store is located near the campus and serves customers from morning until midnight.

Postal Services

A post office is located opposite the west gate of the Northwest University. It is open Monday to Saturday and serves people who want to send international and domestic mail, and also pick up packages from overseas.

The international student dormitories offer single and double rooms. Every room is equipped with a bathroom, fan, TV set, telephone and heating central system. Kitchen, refrigerator, washing facilities, public phone and hot drinking water are provided on each floor. Students need to pay additional fee if they use more than 40 units/month of electricity. Internet access is available in every room for an additional cost.

From the airport to the university: 1 hour by car

From the train station to the university: 20 minutes by car

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