Shantou University Medical College (SUMC) is a vital part of Shantou University. At present, there are 2,676 students, including 1,451 undergraduate students, 1,028 master students and 97 doctorate students. In 2010, approved by the Ministry of Education, SUMC was the first to recruit international students from US and Canada. In 2012, the program in Clinical Medicine was ranked in the top 1% of universities and research institutions worldwide based on ESI (Essential Science Indicators) Analysis. SUMC exists to lead by being student-centered in medical education; patient-centered in health service delivery; application-centered in biomedical and clinical research; public interest-centered in community services; faculty and staff-centered for sustainable development of SUMC.

Being committed to student-centered education and the training of medical professionals that can meet international standards, SUMC has taken the lead in adopting a new "systems-integrated" medical curriculum, implementing English Immersion Program and assessing student performance in the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), attracting talented students and has produced fine medical professionals for China. For 17 consecutive years, the scores of the new students we enrolled have surpassed the entry score set for the national key universities, with SUMC being their first choice. In 2014, the employment rate of graduates reached 98.2%, ranking first among the universities in Guangdong Province for 14 consecutive years. In the past 3 years, students from All English Class took the USMLE and achieved 95% pass rates, with an average score very close to that of American students. In 2010, SUMC won the third prize at the 1st National Clinical Skills Competition and won two second prizes at the 2nd and 3rd Competition in 2012 and 2013.

SUMC offers 5+3 Joint Bachelor-Master program in Clinical Medicine, five-year programs in Clinical Medicine and Stamotology and a four-year program in Nursing. Since 2011, selected students from the English-based medical program have participated in a joint educational program to study in CUHK for one year and since 2009, joint PhD programs have been launched with University of Alberta, Canada and University of Groningen, Netherlands. SUMC is also the provider of 4 nationally distinguished courses, 2 national demonstration courses in bilingual teaching, and 1 nationally recognized teaching team. SUMC is the site of National Experimental Center for the Innovative Talent Training Project and has won 1 first prize and 4 second prizes of the National Education Achievement Awards. There are five affiliated teaching hospitals in SUMC, along with five associated partner hospitals. Apart from medical teaching and scientific research, SUMC is also active in serving the community. The National Hospice Program, Medical Aid for the Poor Program, Rainbow Project are charity programs initiated and supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, all aiming at helping the sick and needy, and cultivating the spirit of "giving" in the community.

Currently, SUMC offers doctorate and master programs in various disciplines. Several research focus areas and laboratories have been recognized at the provincial or national levels. During the period of 2009-2014, SUMC received a total of 1065 research grants, with a total fund of 121 million RMB, and had 901 SCI papers published. Scientific research papers have been published in the prestigious journals such as "Nature", "Science", "The Lancet", "Journal of Virology" and "PNAS". SUMC also won 58 national, provincial and municipal science and technology awards, including a First Class Prize in Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) from the Ministry of Education. All these achievements mark the steady rise of SUMC's reputation in the quality of scientific research.

SUMC has been active in national and international academic exchanges and scientific research collaborations, and has established intercollegiate relationships with many renowned local and overseas medical institutions, including those in the U.S.A., U.K., Canada, Japan, France, Australia, and Hong Kong, etc. Since 1999, SUMC has partnered with CETV and various overseas universities and institutes to hold 18 National Telemedicine Educational Symposia, with live broadcast via satellite and the Internet.