A Chinese university seeks UK partner for summer academic exchange programme

Opportunity

A South China-based university is seeking a UK partner to collaborate with on a short-term academic exchange programme for its undergraduate students in years one to three.

The programme aims to enroll qualified students from the Chinese university in the UK partner institution’s existing summer courses in economics, accounting, finance and other related subjects for preferably four to six weeks. At the end of the programme, each participating student should be provided with an official transcript or academic record from the partner institution which demonstrates their academic performance of each module using standard assessment criteria.

They aim to have Chinese students who meet the UK partner institution’s entry requirements start on the exchange programme in the summer of 2017.

Benefits

The partnering UK institution will:

• receive financial reimbursement for their programme delivery, to be further negotiated with the Chinese institution
• have the opportunity to build their brand among Chinese students, which may support with future student recruitment
• develop a long-standing partnership with a Chinese partner with the opportunity for expansion in future.

Areas of responsibility for the two collaborating parties

Services to be provided by the UK partner:

• providing detailed admissions information on all available academic summer courses and the corresponding entry requirements/restrictions ahead of time
• ensuring each eligible student is enrolled in an appropriate course, and informing the contact person at the Chinese university of the outcomes
• providing each student with a formal transcript or academic record upon successful completion of the programme
• providing a full range of student support and contingency services, including overall supervision of the programme, academic and social orientation, personal and academic counseling, and assistance in case of emergency
• ensuring that the participating students have equal access to all student activities and university facilities on the same terms and conditions as all other students
• providing competitive student health insurance plans that meet the requirements of the UK partner institution and UK immigration provisions
• guaranteeing student accommodation for all participating students.

Services to be provided by the Chinese institution:

• appointing a designated contact person from the international office to work with the UK partner institution
• advertising and promoting the summer exchange programmes to the students in print and digital media
• holding on-campus seminars and arranging the appropriate administrative arrangements in collaboration with the UK partner institution
• facilitating the student admission in accordance with the entry requirements specified by the UK partner institution
• supporting students with post-programme matters, including credit transfer and re-orientation for students returning from overseas.

Brief introduction to the Chinese institution

The Chinese university is located in Jiangxi province in China.

Founded in 1923, the Chinese university is a comprehensive institution of higher education with a focus on economics and management. Other available disciplines include languages, international education, humanity, law, engineering, natural science, agriculture, philosophy and history. It has 1,564 full-time teachers, among whom 260 are professors, 500 are associate professors, and 92 are doctoral supervisors.

The Chinese university is home to 21 academic schools and 23 research centres across its four campuses with a total area of 360 acres. The university offers 58 undergraduate programmes, 96 Master’s degree programmes, 33 doctoral degree programmes and 28 post-doctoral programmes. It has a total enrollment of more than 40,000 students, among whom 26,000 are full-time students.

The Chinese university attaches great importance to its internationalisation agenda and has established academic relations with 85 universities from 18 countries and regions, including the Australian National University, the State University of New York, the University of Southampton and Lancaster University. In 1998, the Chinese university was approved to offer Sino-American and Sino-Australian MBA programmes. In 2010, the university became the first member from mainland China to join the International Student Exchange Programs group, which offers its students the opportunity to go abroad for study at over 400 universities and colleges (among which 170 are from the U.S.) in 42 countries and regions. In 2015, the Chinese university was accredited by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and by Certified Practising Accountants Australia.