Southeast University: Fees & Ranking

The short answer

Southeast University (SEU) is a public university in Nanjing with a strong engineering profile. It reports 43,651 full-time students and 2,381 international students, of whom 1,688 study for a degree.^[1] It is ranked joint 335th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, up from 392nd in 2026, according to a ranking aggregator that republishes QS tables.^[2]

Annual tuition for Chinese-taught degrees is RMB 16,000 to 20,000 for a bachelor’s, RMB 18,000 to 30,000 for a master’s and RMB 28,000 to 50,000 for a PhD, depending on the field; English-taught degrees cost more (bachelor’s RMB 30,000 to 50,000).^[3] Chinese-taught programmes need at least HSK 4, English-taught programmes TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.0, according to an older admissions page.^[4]

Key facts

Official name	Southeast University (东南大学), abbreviated SEU
Location	Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; campuses at Sipailou, Jiulonghu and Dingjiaqiao^[1]
Type	Public comprehensive research university with an engineering focus; affiliated with the Ministry of Education; Project 211, Project 985 and Double First-Class^[5]
Founded	1902, as Sanjiang Normal School; renamed Southeast University in May 1988; merged with Nanjing Railway Medical College and other schools in April 2000^[1]
Students	43,651 full-time students: 17,277 undergraduates, 118 second-bachelor’s students and 26,256 graduate students^[1]
International students	2,381, of whom 1,688 are degree students^[1]
Academic units	39 schools and departments and 85 undergraduate majors^[1]
QS World University Rankings 2027	=335 (392nd in 2026)^[2]
Tuition, Chinese-taught degrees	Bachelor’s RMB 16,000–20,000 · master’s RMB 18,000–30,000 · PhD RMB 28,000–50,000 per year^[3]
Tuition, English-taught degrees	Bachelor’s RMB 30,000–50,000 · master’s RMB 30,000–33,000 · PhD RMB 33,000–38,000 per year^[3]
Study length (catalogues for 2027 entry)	Most Chinese-taught bachelor’s majors 4 years (Architecture 5, Clinical Medicine 6); master’s mostly 3 years; PhD mostly 4 years^[6]
Entrance test, bachelor’s	China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) in the subjects listed for each major^[6]
Official website	cis.seu.edu.cn (College of International Students)

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.

About Southeast University

Southeast University says it was founded in 1902 as Sanjiang Normal School. It later passed through the names Liangjiang Normal School, Nanjing Higher Normal School, National Southeast University and National Central University. After the 1952 national restructuring of higher education, an engineering-led institution was created on the site of National Central University as Nanjing Institute of Technology; it took the name Southeast University in May 1988. In April 2000 it merged with Nanjing Railway Medical College and Nanjing Higher Institute of Transportation, and Nanjing Geological School joined it.^[1]

Sources differ on the founding date: the university dates itself to 1902, while Wikipedia’s infobox shows 1921, the year of National Southeast University, and describes the 1902 school as its precursor.^[5]

SEU is affiliated with the Ministry of Education and belongs to Project 211, Project 985 and the Double First-Class programme, the Chinese government schemes that fund selected universities.^[5] Its campuses are Sipailou, Jiulonghu and Dingjiaqiao in Nanjing; the College of International Students, which handles international admissions, is on the Jiulonghu campus.^[1]^[6]

How is Southeast University ranked?

In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Southeast University is joint 335th in the world. In 2026 it was 392nd and in 2025 428th.^[2] We could not read the QS table itself (topuniversities.com blocks automated access), so the figure comes from a ranking aggregator that republishes it.^[2]

The university describes itself as engineering-led: 12 of its disciplines are on China’s Double First-Class list and 18 are in the top 1% of the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database; it reports ESI global positions of 13th in engineering and 5th in computer science.^[1] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at Southeast University?

SEU has 39 schools and departments and 85 undergraduate majors.^[1] International students apply to the 2027 catalogues of the College of International Students:

Bachelor’s: mostly four-year majors across engineering, sciences, economics and management, public health, humanities and arts (Architecture takes five years). English-taught options include Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering and Clinical Medicine (six years).^[6]
Master’s: mostly three-year programmes, with English-taught options such as Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Public Health and Urban Planning.^[7]
PhD: mostly four-year programmes; many engineering fields allow a choice of Chinese or English.^[8]

Each bachelor’s major lists the CSCA subjects required, for example Mathematics plus Physics for most engineering majors.^[6]

How much does Southeast University cost for international students?

Level	Humanities	Engineering	Medicine
Chinese-taught bachelor’s	RMB 16,000	RMB 19,000	RMB 20,000
Chinese-taught master’s	RMB 18,000	RMB 23,000	RMB 30,000
Chinese-taught PhD	RMB 28,000	RMB 33,000	RMB 50,000
English-taught bachelor’s	RMB 30,000	RMB 33,000	RMB 50,000
English-taught master’s	RMB 30,000	RMB 33,000 (includes Public Health)	not offered
English-taught PhD	RMB 33,000	RMB 38,000	not offered

All amounts are per academic year, taken from the “Fee Standards” page of the College of International Students (in Chinese, without a date).^[3] Non-degree students pay RMB 16,000 (Chinese-language students and general scholars) or RMB 20,000 (senior scholars).^[3]

Older English pages of the same college show other English-taught figures, for example RMB 32,000 for the English-taught MBBS in 2019, so do not use them.^[4] Those pages also mention an estimated RMB 6,000 to 8,000 per year for a shared dormitory room and a non-refundable application fee of RMB 400.^[4]

Scholarships

The college’s notices list a 2026 application for the Nanjing Municipal Government Scholarship and the SEU Scholarship (Freshman Scholarship), dated 14 October 2026.^[9] The 2019 page tells Chinese Government Scholarship applicants to contact their local Chinese embassy or consulate.^[4] For rent and living costs in Nanjing, see our Study in China guide.

How do you apply to Southeast University?

International applications go through SEU’s online application system for international students (fs.seu.edu.cn), where you upload your documents and pay the application fee.^[4] The 2019 undergraduate page lists a passport, high-school diploma and transcripts, a language certificate, a certificate of no criminal conviction and a physical examination record; Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture applicants add a portfolio.^[4]

Bachelor’s applicants must take the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA), a standardised test run in China for international applicants; the required subjects depend on the major.^[6] After admission you pay the first year’s tuition, receive the admission notice and the JW202 visa form, and apply for an X1 student visa.^[4]

We give no deadlines here because they change every year and differ by level. The college posts its catalogue for the coming intake in the autumn (the 2027 catalogues are dated 10 October 2026); check the current application period before you start.^[6] The English pages we could read for application details date from 2019, so confirm every step with admission@seu.edu.cn.^[4]

Which language level do you need?

HSK is the Chinese proficiency test; its levels run from 1 to 6. For Chinese-taught programmes SEU’s 2019 admissions page asks for HSK 4 or above. For English-taught programmes it asks for TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.0, unless English is the official or native language of your country.^[4]

That page is the most recent English statement of language requirements that we could read, and it dates from 26 November 2019. The 2027 catalogues list the entrance-test subjects but no language scores, so ask the college whether the thresholds have changed.^[4]

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is tuition at Southeast University for international students?

Chinese-taught bachelor’s programmes cost RMB 16,000 to 20,000 a year, master’s RMB 18,000 to 30,000 and PhDs RMB 28,000 to 50,000. English-taught programmes cost RMB 30,000 to 50,000 at bachelor’s level.^[3]

Does Southeast University teach in English?

Yes, in selected programmes: English-taught bachelor’s options include Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering and Clinical Medicine, and the master’s catalogue lists English-taught engineering and public-health programmes.^[6]^[7]

What language level does Southeast University require?

HSK 4 or above for Chinese-taught programmes and TOEFL 80 or IELTS 6.0 for English-taught programmes, according to the college’s 2019 admissions page.^[4]

How is Southeast University ranked?

Joint 335th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, up from 392nd in 2026.^[2]

Do I need an entrance test for the bachelor’s programme?

Yes. The catalogue lists the China Scholastic Competency Assessment (CSCA) subjects for each major, such as Mathematics plus Physics for most engineering majors.^[6]