Shantou University (STU), a key comprehensive university under the “Project 211” in Guangdong Province, was founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council. As the only public university in the world that receives long-term funding from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, it is jointly supported by the Ministry of Education, the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Li Ka Shing Foundation. The University campus is located in the northwestern part of Shantou, a seaside city, covering a total area of 1.3 square kilometers with a floor space of 448,400 m2.   

Since its inception, Shantou University has received a generous support from the distinguished philanthropist and international entrepreneur, Mr. Li Ka-shing. The Li Ka Shing Foundation has committed a total of over HK$6.2 billion to support Shantou University (including the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business). Mr. Li has given his heart and soul to the development of the University, a manifestation of his lofty ideal to “serve the good of all” and his firm conviction that education is vital to the young generation of the country. 

Currently, the University has 1 National Key Discipline, offers Cheung Kong Scholar Professorships, provides 5 Postdoctoral Programs, 1 Doctoral Program for first-level discipline and 25 Doctoral Programs for second-level disciplines, 10 Master’s Programs for first-level disciplines and 84 Master’s Programs for second-level disciplines, as well as 7 Professional Master's Degree Programs. It also has 7 National Distinctive Programs, 4 Provincial Branded Programs, 1 National Key Laboratory, 6 Provincial Key Laboratories, and 2 National Pilot Sites for Innovative Talents Training. The University now offers a comprehensive education system from bachelor to doctorate programs, including a 7-year master program in Clinical Medicine. Currently, STU has a staff of 5,113 and over 9,842 students and has nurtured nearly 80,000 graduates. The University consists of ten colleges and schools, namely, College of Liberal Arts, College of Sciences, College of Engineering, Medical College, Law School, Business School, Cheung Kong School of Art and Design, Cheung Kong School of Journalism and Communication, Graduate School, School of Continuing Education and Veritas College. It enrolls qualified students from all over the country (including Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Taiwan).  In September 2013，the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Shantou University signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing a joint academic technological institute in Shantou, Guangdong called the Technion Guangdong Institute of Technology (TGIT).

The University library has been digitalized to meet the growing need for an electronic library. The affiliated hospitals, including the First Affiliated Hospital, a tertiary hospital that was awarded the “Nation’s 100 Best Hospitals”, with a total of 3,533 patient beds, provide ample opportunities for student training.

 Fully utilizing the financial support and the extensive global network of Li Ka Shing Foundation, STU has strengthened international collaboration and academic exchange. Nobel laureates Chen Ning Yang, Tsung-dao Lee, Chao Chung Ting, James Alexander Mirrlees, Barry J. Marshall, Mo Yan and Dan Shechtman, along with other world-class masters such as Shiing-shen Chern, Shing-Tung Yau and Yuh-kang Pan, were invited to be honorary or visiting professors. The University has also established close cooperative academic communications with over 40 institutions in the U.S.A., UK, Canada, France, Japan, Russia, Australia and Germany, and set up undergraduate and postgraduate student exchange programs.

Shantou University is committed to the student-centered reform in terms of university administration and talent training, in order to cultivate talents with the motto, “Aspiration, Knowledge, Perseverance, Achievement”. It is also planning to relocate Medical College into the main campus and to develop a globally advanced curriculum focusing on life science. Since 2001, the University has conducted a profound internationalization-oriented reform, and overseas talents have been recruited to serve as provost, vice president and deans. Through a series of reforms in curriculum design, teaching, resources management and human resources system, it aims to offer a platform for the exploration of higher educational reform in China. With its successful innovations, the University was highly appraised by the former Vice Premier Li Lanqing as “the pilot site for higher educational reform in China.” 

With the unwavering efforts over the past three decades, Shantou University has managed to meet the expectations of the Central, Provincial and Municipal authorities and Mr. Li Ka-shing. It has created a congenial environment for training talents to meet the social demands in the 21st Century, and laid a solid foundation for its sustainable development. STU will strive hard to become a modern institution of higher education with favorable institutional system and high-quality education, and a leading university in China with the ability to enter the global spotlight.