What is the experience of studying/visiting/discussing cooperation at Nankai University? And, is Nankai still “fragrant” compared to the resumption of diplomatic relations between the Qing and Northern regions in 2025? The following text combines official data, soft science rankings, and autumn recruitment roadshow notes together and breaks them down for you to see.
Ten Minute Quick Look: 7 Sets of Numbers from Nankai University
- Established in 1919, private → national → “985/211/Double First Class A-class” advanced along the way
- Current students: 31000 full-time students, including 16000 undergraduate students; Teacher to student ratio 1:9.7 (according to statistics from the Ministry of Education in 2023)
- ESI Global Top 1% Disciplines: 17, Chemistry at 0.5 ‰
- 2024 Ranking of Chinese Universities in Soft Science: 20th overall, 14th in research quality
- The average implementation rate of undergraduate programs in 2024 is 93.1%, of which 48.3% are for further education (Nankai Employment Quality Report 2024)
- The average monthly salary for the class of 2024 is 9.8k for undergraduate students and 13.6k for master’s students
- National level platform: 7 State Key Laboratory, 2 National Engineering Center, 1 National Applied Mathematics Center All data comes from the “Annual Report on Employment Quality for the 2024 Graduates of Nankai University”https://career.nankai.edu.cn Released on December 26, 2024. In other words, Nankai University is still “small and sophisticated”, with a scale of less than half of a giant university, but its per capita resources are not poor.
Nankai University Discipline Map: Avoiding the ‘Hot Trap’
1. Physical/Chemical/Numerical: Traditional Moat
The chemistry discipline has been exempted from inspection for two consecutive “Double First Class” exams, ranking 6th in the country in the Nature Index 2024; Mathematics has entered the top 150 globally for the first time in the 2025 QS Subject Rankings. I want to do theory but don’t want to get accepted into Peking University or Fudan University. The average impact of mentors at Nankai University is not low.
2. Statistics and Data Science: Soft Science A+Newcomer
In 2024, “Statistics” was listed as an A+in the Soft Science program, with only 5 schools nationwide. Nankai University of Statistics will open a new Data Science Micro major in 2025, which is available for undergraduate students. The key is to sign a long-term agreement with the Tianjin Binhai New Area Medical and Health Big Data Center, where all course cases are based on desensitized hospital data and the “real blood” project.
3. AI/Computer: Intensive Supplementary Course
Nankai Computer is still in the B+level, but the school will invest 300 million yuan in building a “smart computing chip” school level platform in 2024 and hire four young 973 chief executives. The pain point is that the expansion of teaching staff cannot keep up with the growth rate of students. It is best not to regard it as the only preferred option for “code farmers” before 2026. Summary:
- There is no distinction between Qingbei and Nankai;
- The score is in the “Hangkai Ji” category, with the top choice being the housekeeping disciplines (chemistry, history, statistics, economics) which offer the highest cost-effectiveness;
- For the pure AI algorithm position, it is recommended to take Nankai’s mathematical foundation+Tianjin real estate/manufacturing data, and then go to Beijing/Shenzhen for internship.
How to Choose Dormitories and Laboratories for the Three Campuses of Nankai University from Balitai to Jinnan to TEDA
- Balitai Old Campus: City center, 200 meters away from the subway line 3, convenient for daily life
- Jinnan New Campus: Metro Line 8 will open on May 1st, 2025, and it will take 35 minutes from the school gate to Tianjin Station. Library 24-hour self sensing lighting. The graduate school and most of the science and engineering experimental platforms have been relocated, and there is an ice rink in the sports hall. However, the off campus commercial environment is desolate, suitable for those who want to quit milk tea.
- TEDA Campus: nominally belonging to Nankai, but actually jointly managed with the development zone, mainly for undergraduate students in artificial intelligence and software for grades 3-4, as well as some MBA courses. The dormitory building has a sea view room (with a view of the harbor), which is a 15 minute drive from the core of Binhai New Area; The disadvantage is that it is 60 kilometers away from the main campus, so cross campus course selection is almost impossible. In one sentence: For those who are pragmatic, choose Jinnan; for those who are experienced in the city, choose Balitai; for those who focus on entrepreneurship/internships, choose TEDA.
Autumn Recruitment Salary: Who Is the Most Proficient in Finance, Statistics, or Chemistry?
The official employment report reveals:
- The School of Finance has lowered its value, and those who pass the securities industry threshold can enter the business department, but core positions in top securities firms still account for only 6%.
- The average salary for statistics majors is 14.2 k, second only to artificial intelligence majors at 16.4 k, while the average salary for chemistry master’s degrees is 11.3 k, with a visible gap. In other words, with a strong family background and stable academic performance, studying chemistry can directly lead to a PhD; If the goal is to recover tuition fees after three years of work, statistics/mathematics are more stable. The key is that Nankai has reserved enough recommended spots for basic disciplines.
Short Term Study in Tianjin: Summer School and MOOC Channel
In July 2025, Nankai and Bilibili jointly launched an open course on “Poetry in China”, and also opened a 5-day summer school offline, with a registration fee of 800 yuan and a limit of 200 people. The registration window is April 1st. On the official website: https://summer.nankai.edu.cn
If you only want to take MOOCs, search for “Nankai University” on the “MOOC China” platform, and you have already completed 32 high-quality Chinese courses. The credit mutual recognition policy is only open to 16 universities in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region, but obtaining a certificate after completion can still be used as an auxiliary material for applying for graduate studies (the “MOOC certificate” can be filled in the application interface for the Master of Accounting program at the University of Hong Kong).
Conclusion
At the end, let’s return to ‘What is the significance of applying/visiting/cooperating’. Nankai University is not like an internet famous institution that kills hot searches every day; It is more like an “endurance horse” – the city is not noisy, and disciplines compete with each other. In other words, if you can accept the “unremarkable” social media presence, but need a combination of recommendation, research, and further education, putting four years of youth at 94 Weijin Road is still a stable investment. The key is to put yourself in the subject salary table mentioned earlier and see if you can match it. Go ahead and place an order; Sorry, Tian Da, Bei Shi, and Hua Ke are also waiting for you.
Reference
Nankai University Graduate Employment Guidance Center (2024). Annual Report on Employment Quality for the 2024 Graduates of Nankai University https://career.nankai.edu.cn/info/1104/2376.htm Soft Science (2024). 2024 China University Major Ranking – Nankai University https://www.shanghairanking.cn/institution/nankai-university Clarivate. (2024). ESI database, updated 2024-11-30. https://esi.clarivate.com QS World University Rankings. (2025). Mathematics subject ranking 2025. https://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/mathematics
