Xiamen University

What Xiamen University does

Xiamen University (XMU) is a public research university founded in 1921 in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, operating under the Chinese Ministry of Education. It serves more than 47,000 students (21,000+ undergraduates and 26,000+ graduates) across 35 schools and 106 undergraduate programs through four physical campuses — Siming (167 hectares), Xiang'an, Zhangzhou (171 hectares), and Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), the first overseas campus of a Chinese university, established in 2016 and marking its 10th anniversary in 2026. XMU is nationally distinguished by an A+ rating in marine science, first-place national rankings in accounting (2002 and 2007), and consecutive Grade A evaluations of its State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces across five reviews from 1994 to 2014.

The university's research portfolio spans multiple State Key Laboratories — Marine Environmental Science, Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, and Cellular Stress Biology — plus the provincial Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory, which holds more than 500 million yuan in equipment across 70,000+ square meters of research space including Class 100/1000 cleanrooms. Notable technical outputs include the world's first Hepatitis E vaccine (NIDVD), 300+ patents from the Physical Chemistry laboratory, and in 2026 alone three Nature journal papers, first-author acceptance at OSDI 2026 for the ValScope DBMS testing tool (which uncovered 67 previously unknown logical bugs), and two IEEE TPAMI acceptances for AI research (DOtA++ and CPD++). The university anchors the University Consortium of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (UCMSR), which expanded to 73 member institutions across five continents in June 2026.

XMU's business model combines tuition and fees from domestic and international students (including scholarship programs such as Chinese Government, Hanban, Tan Kah Kee, Fujian Provincial, and XMU Scholarships), research grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and provincial departments, and revenue from international student programs and the Malaysia overseas campus. Distribution is anchored by direct admissions channels, a dedicated international student portal, multi-campus physical operations, and the UCMSR network. Customer-facing digital infrastructure includes a UnionPay-integrated digital campus card, WeChat mini programs (XMUSPORTS, XMULibrary), eduroam campus Wi-Fi, and internal academic/LMS platforms. The university is governed by President Hu Wenping and University Council Chairman Zhang Rong (CAS Academician).

Name

Xiamen University

Legal name

Xiamen University

Website

https://en.xmu.edu.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Xiamen University is a public Chinese research university founded in 1921, serving 47,000+ students across 35 schools and four campuses including Malaysia, with nationally top-rated programs in marine science (A+) and accounting, multiple State Key Laboratories, and a global consortium of 73 partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Marine science research
• International student programs
• Research university degrees
• State key laboratories

Headquarters

HQ city

Xiamen

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs for both domestic and international students through comprehensive recruitment and education services.
2. Research Grants and Funding: Significant research funding from government sources including the Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and provincial departments. The university conducts funded research across multiple disciplines.
3. International Student Programs: Revenue from international student recruitment, Chinese international education, and overseas campus operations (Xiamen University Malaysia).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Xiamen University is a public research university that delivers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs to over 47,000 students across four Chinese campuses (Siming, Xiang'an, Zhangzhou, and Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory) and one overseas campus in Malaysia. Core offerings include international student recruitment and scholarship programs, State Key Laboratory research services in marine science, chemistry, and vaccinology, and the XMUM international branch campus serving Southeast Asian students.

Product overview

Xiamen University is a comprehensive research university offering educational services across multiple campuses in China and Malaysia. The university's product portfolio consists of core educational infrastructure services including physical and digital campus cards for identity verification and payments, library services and learning commons across multiple campuses, campus network infrastructure (XMUNET+, XMU-DORM, eduroam), academic services platform for student records and schedules, online learning management system, sports venue reservation, and research laboratories. The physical and digital campus cards serve as the primary access and payment mechanism across all services. The university also operates specialized state key laboratories including Marine Environmental Science, Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, and Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory for research. Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) serves as the international branch campus offering the same educational services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Bachelor's degree programs across 106 disciplines spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine, marine studies, and the arts, serving 21,000+ undergraduate students across XMU's campuses in China and Malaysia.
• Graduate Degree Programs Master's and doctoral degree programs across XMU's research-strong disciplines, serving 26,000+ graduate students with thesis-based research training and access to State Key Laboratories.
• International Student Programs Recruitment, admission, scholarship support, and academic services for international students pursuing degree programs at XMU campuses in China and Malaysia, supported by a dedicated international student services office.
• Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) International branch campus located in Sepang, Malaysia, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Kah Kee style architecture with People's Great Hall, Furong Lake, and a 1-million-volume library capacity.
• State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science State-level research laboratory dedicated to cutting-edge research on global change with focus on marine biogeochemistry and ecosystem interactions, recognized as one of the best state key labs in MOST's nationwide reviews.
• State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces State-level research laboratory focused on chemical sciences of solid surfaces and interfaces covering catalysis, electrochemistry, and structural/theoretical chemistry, publishing in Nature and Science journals.
• Tan Kah Kee Innovation Laboratory Provincial innovation laboratory focusing on efficient energy storage, low-carbon energy systems, future display technologies, advanced materials, advanced equipment, and energy policies, with super-precision laboratories and cleanroom facilities.
• National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases (NIDVD) Research institute developing novel human vaccines, biological therapeutic products, diagnostic reagents, and biomarkers for infectious and chronic diseases, operating E. coli-based protein expression platforms and in vitro/in vivo experimental models.
• Xiamen Atomistic Computing Suite (XACS) Cloud-based open-source platform delivering AI-driven quantum chemistry simulations with near gold-standard accuracy at reduced computational cost, supporting academic and industrial computational chemistry research.

Quantifiable outcome

• XMU's marine science discipline rated A+ in national academic assessments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• University of MacaocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2026XMU School of Economics and Faculty of Business Administration at University of Macao signed memorandum of understanding forming a long-term academic partnership for finance research collaboration.
• Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Nigeria)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026New member institution joining the University Consortium of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (UCMSR), expanding XMU's global academic network to 73 member universities across five continents.
• Prince of Songkla University (Thailand)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026New UCMSR member joining the consortium, strengthening XMU's maritime silk road educational cooperation with Southeast Asian institutions.
• Royal University of Law and Economics (Cambodia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026New UCMSR member strengthening legal and economic academic exchanges along the maritime silk road corridor.
• Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026New UCMSR member from Indonesia, one of two Indonesian universities joining in this expansion round.
• Universitas Pelita Harapan (Indonesia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026New UCMSR member from Indonesia, strengthening XMU's academic network in Southeast Asia's largest economy.
• Peking UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Co-founding partner of the China-ASEAN Association of Translation, Interpreting and Communication, an open non-profit organization initiated by XMU with institutions from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
• Fudan UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Co-founding partner of the China-ASEAN Association of Translation, Interpreting and Communication alongside Peking University, XMU, and institutions from multiple ASEAN countries.
• National University of SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Co-founding member of the China-ASEAN Association of Translation, Interpreting and Communication representing Singapore in the multilateral academic collaboration.
• University of MalayacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2026Participating institution in the China-ASEAN Association of Translation, Interpreting and Communication with XMU as the initiating institution.
• Tsinghua UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in AI-powered motion capture technology, with Dr. Yipeng Qin from Cardiff University winning Best Paper Award at SIGGRAPH 2025 for research conducted jointly with XMU and Tsinghua.
• Cardiff UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner in motion capture technology research, with Dr. Yipeng Qin winning Best Paper Award at SIGGRAPH 2025 for joint work with XMU and Tsinghua University.
• University of Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint study with XMU's College of the Environment and Ecology and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory on subsoil enhanced nitrification layer (ENL) research published in Nature Communications.
• Huazhong University of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution in Nature publication on lithium-sulfur battery research led by XMU's Sun Shigang and Professor Liao Honggang with Professor Huang Yunhui's team.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership in lithium-rich cathode study published in Nature, with Research Assistant Professor Li Jiantao contributing from Northwestern University.
• University of OxfordflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration with Professor Sebastian Shimeld on vertebrate brain cell type evolution research published in Nature, representing XMU's collaboration with leading global institutions.
• Xiamen University MalaysiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Zulkifly Abbas from Xiamen University Malaysia contributes to AI and data center research discussions, highlighting the international collaboration between main campus and overseas branch.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Peking University: China's flagship research university and co-founding partner of China-ASEAN Association alongside XMU. While broader in prestige and resource base, it competes directly with XMU for top students, faculty, and research funding across disciplines.
• Tsinghua University: China's top engineering and computer science university and XMU research partner on AI motion-capture research. Larger and more established, but competes with XMU for AI talent and research funding.

Direct peers

• Zhejiang University: Top-ranked Chinese research university with broad disciplinary coverage including marine science, AI, and life sciences. Comparable to XMU in operating model, scale, and government research funding structure.
• Nanjing University: One of China's oldest and most prestigious research universities, with comparable breadth across natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering. Similar historical standing and government research funding model to XMU.
• Huazhong University of Science and Technology: Major Chinese research university with strong engineering and science programs, and a research collaboration partner with XMU on Nature lithium-sulfur battery publications. Comparable in scale, STEM focus, and state key laboratory infrastructure.
• Fudan University: Top-tier Chinese research university in Shanghai with strong international profile and co-founding partner of China-ASEAN Association alongside XMU. Comparable in scale, public research university model, and emphasis on graduate programs.
• Sun Yat-sen University: Comprehensive Chinese research university in Guangzhou with similar scale, multiple campuses, and strong STEM and social science programs. Both are top-tier public universities with significant international student recruitment and broad disciplinary offerings comparable to XMU.
• Wuhan University: Comprehensive Chinese research university with strong reputation across humanities, sciences, and engineering. Comparable to XMU in multi-campus structure, public research university status, and international partnership approach.

Regional players

• University of Hong Kong: Leading Asian research university with comparable international research profile and active collaboration with XMU on environmental research (Nature Communications publication). Competes for top Mainland Chinese students and research talent.
• National University of Singapore: Top Asian research university and co-founding partner of the China-ASEAN Association with XMU. Competes with XMU for ASEAN-region international students and research talent, particularly at graduate level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/xmu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@XMU1921
• Facebookfacebook.com/xmuchina
• Instagraminstagram.com/xiamenuniversity_official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xiamen-university-11421

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Xiamen University