China University of Petroleum(CUP) is a one of the major state universities sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (MOE). CUP was recently selected to be one of the one-hundred major universities in the Project 211, a nation-wide program to promote the quality and international competence of Chinese higher education institutions.

CUP was founded in 1953 and known originally as Beijing Petroleum Institute. During the 1960s it gained strong reputation within the nation. In 1969 CUP was moved to the city of Dongying, Shandong Province and its name changed to East China Petroleum Institute. Through another two name modifications in 1988 and in 2005, the University is now the China University of Petroleum. The relocation in the 1960s has divided CUP into two related but relatively independent units by the geographic locations: China University of Petroleum (Huadong) and China University of Petroleum (Beijing). CUP (Huadong) consists of two campuses: one is in the city of Dongying, where the second largest oil field of China is located, and the other one is in the city of Qingdao, a beautiful coastal city with diverse culture and international population. Most international students of CUP study at the Qingdao campus.

The total size of the two campuses of CUP is about 4,500 Chinese Mu (about 300 hectares) with nearly 1,000,000 square meters of floor space. The library has a collection of over 1.9 million volumes of books and documents. The 13 colleges and schools together offer 53 undergraduate programs, 99 postgraduate programs, and 32 doctoral programs. CUP also has 4 Post-doctoral Research Centers, 5 state-accredited key disciplines (Chemical Technology, Mineral Survey and Exploration, Oil and Gas Well Engineering, Oil and Gas Field Exploitation Engineering, and Oil and Gas Storage and Transportation Engineering), 1 state key heavy-oil laboratory. More than 1,000 faculty and 2,000 staff members are employed at CUP, among them there are five academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS). The total enrollment includes approximately 21,000 full-time undergraduates, 3,200 postgraduates, 30,000 correspondence and distance students, and 100 international students.

CUP (Huadong) has been consistently enforcing an open-door policy that encourages and strengthens international collaboration and exchanges. With advanced teaching facilities, CUP provides a most friendly learning and research environment. The University also values greatly the education of international students. Special classrooms are designated to international students to facilitate a quiet and conducive academic surrounding. The university appoints qualified and experienced instructors and professors for international students to teach Chinese language and culture and other subjects. A convenient living environment is available on campus including designated boarding facilities for international students. Besides regular courses, the University offers seminars and lectures about Chinese culture and organizes various kinds of extracurricular activities. Students also have access to audio-enhanced classrooms and the activity center.