Southwest University of Science and Technology

What Southwest University of Science and Technology does

Southwest University of Science and Technology (SWUST) is a public, multi-disciplinary university in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China, founded in the 1960s and co-administered by the Sichuan Provincial Government, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Industry and Information. It is one of 14 universities receiving the State's special support in western China and operates as a pilot institution for modern distance education. The university spans 17 schools across 9 subject areas (Engineering, Agriculture, Science, Economics, Law, Literature, Management, Education, and Arts), offering 76 bachelor programs, 17 first-level master disciplines, 3 first-level doctoral disciplines, and 4 Ph.D. joint programs with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics. It serves over 30,000 full-time students with 2,200+ staff on a 273-hectare campus featuring 1 million square meters of building space and a national Science & Technology Park.

SWUST generates revenue primarily through tuition and accommodation fees from degree-seeking students, with international students — particularly those from Belt and Road countries — being a strategic growth segment. Bachelor programs cost RMB 16,000-18,000/year, Master's RMB 20,000-22,000/year, and Doctoral RMB 26,000/year, plus monthly accommodation fees of RMB 400-1,200; one-time application and CUCAS service fees are USD 85 and USD 200 respectively. The university distributes programs primarily through the CUCAS third-party platform and its own swust.cucas.cn portal, targeting consumers across at least 10 countries including Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Russia, DR Congo, Germany, India, Morocco, Namibia, and Ghana. State appropriations, research grants, and the on-campus Science & Technology Park complement tuition as core revenue mechanisms, though specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Southwest University of Science and Technology

Legal name

Southwest University of Science and Technology

Website

https://swust.cucas.cn

Company type

Public

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Southwest University of Science and Technology is a public Chinese university in Mianyang, Sichuan, offering bachelor, master, and doctoral programs across nine disciplines to 30,000+ students, with a growing international student recruitment arm distributed via the CUCAS platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Subject-Specific Short Courses & Academies (e.g., STEM, Business, Arts) (EDAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Higher education
• International student programs
• Chinese language training
• Engineering degree programs
• Doctoral research training

Headquarters

HQ city

Mianyang

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: The university generates revenue primarily through tuition fees charged to international students for various degree programs including Bachelor, Master, Doctoral, and Non-degree programs.
2. Accommodation Fees: Revenue from international student accommodation services in dedicated apartment buildings.
3. Application and Service Fees: Application fee of USD 85 per application and service fee of USD 200 charged through the CUCAS platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SWUST is a full-time multi-disciplinary public university that delivers higher education programs across four degree levels—non-degree Chinese Language, Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral—to domestic and international students in 9 subject areas. It runs 17 schools offering 76 bachelor's programs, 4 types of professional master's, 17 first-level master's disciplines, and 3 first-level doctorate disciplines, with select programs taught in English and 4 Ph.D. joint programs with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics. The university supplements instruction with on-campus student accommodation and supports international recruitment through the CUCAS application platform.

Product overview

Southwest University of Science and Technology (SWUST) is a multi-disciplinary public university offering a comprehensive portfolio of 59 educational programs across 4 degree levels: Non-degree (Chinese Language Program), Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees. The university operates 17 schools offering 76 bachelor's programs, 4 types of professional master's programs, 17 first-level master's degree disciplines, and 3 first-level doctorate degree disciplines across 9 subject areas. Featured English-taught programs include Computer Science and Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics at the graduate level. SWUST is one of 14 key universities receiving State special support in western China and hosts a national Science & Technology Park.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chinese Language Program A non-degree program designed to enable students to achieve good Mandarin pronunciation, exchange information in simple Chinese on basic topics, master 2,500–3,000 Chinese characters, and read/write simple passages. Includes Comprehensive Chinese, Spoken Chinese, Chinese Listening Comprehension, Chinese characters, Tai-chi, Chinese music and songs, and Chinese cooking. Total cost ranges from RMB 5,000 to RMB 10,000.
• Computer Science and Technology (Bachelor's) A 4-year English-taught bachelor's program recognized as a Sichuan Province Excellent Engineer Education Training Program since 2013, offered by the School of Computer Science and Technology. Includes 12 main courses such as Discrete Mathematics, C Programming, Data Structures, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Database Systems, Algorithm Analysis, Compiler Principles, and Search Engine Technology. Costs RMB 16,000–RMB 18,000 per year.
• Materials Science and Engineering (Master's) A 3-year English-taught master's program requiring a bachelor's degree and English proficiency, focused on materials science theory and engineering applications with research components. Costs RMB 20,000–RMB 22,000 per year.
• Physics (Master's) An English-taught master's degree program in Physics offered as one of SWUST's featured programs for international students.
• Chemistry (Master's) An English-taught master's degree program in Chemistry offered as one of SWUST's featured programs for international students.
• Bachelor Degree Programs Multiple bachelor's degree programs including Software Engineering, Business English, English, MBA, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Urban and Rural Planning, and others across disciplines. 76 bachelor's programs are offered in total. English and Chinese taught programs are available at RMB 16,000–RMB 18,000 per year.
• Master Degree Programs Multiple master's degree programs including Software Engineering, Control Science and Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Material Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Control Science and Technology, Biology, Environmental Science and Engineering, and others. RMB 20,000–RMB 22,000 per year.
• Doctoral Degree Programs Doctoral degree programs offered across 9 subjects including Engineering, Agriculture, Science, Economics, Law, Literature, Management, Education and Arts. Includes 3 first-level doctorate disciplines and 4 Ph.D. joint programs with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics. RMB 26,000 per year.
• On-Campus Student Accommodation Apartment-style student housing on the SWUST campus. Double rooms are available at RMB 400 per month for Master's and Doctoral students, and quad rooms at RMB 1,200 per month for Bachelor's and Chinese Language Program students. Currently one bedroom apartment is offered at RMB 1,200 per month.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 full-time postgraduate and undergraduate students enrolled
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chinese Academy of Engineering PhysicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWUST offers 4 Ph.D. joint programs with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, representing a core academic partnership in doctoral education and research collaboration.
• Universities in Europe, Americas, Asia, and OceaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe university maintains close links with universities and institutions in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania for active exchanges and internationalization efforts. Specific named institutions include universities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Japan.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Xi'an University of Technology: Regional Chinese comprehensive university with comparable engineering focus and international student recruitment motion; competes for similar Belt & Road corridor applicants.
• Chongqing University of Technology: Tier-2 city Chinese university with multi-disciplinary engineering and science programs actively recruiting international students — overlapping applicant base and degree mix with SWUST.
• Chengdu University of Technology: Sichuan-based peer with overlapping STEM and applied science program mix; recruits international students through CUCAS into similar bachelor and master degree programs.
• Inner Mongolia University of Technology: Ordinary-tier Chinese regional university explicitly cross-compared with SWUST on CUCAS, recruiting international students into engineering and applied science programs through the same platform.
• Kunming University of Science and Technology: Provincial science-and-technology focused university in southwestern China recruiting international students through CUCAS with comparable degree breadth and tuition positioning. Closest analog to SWUST in regional, disciplinary, and recruitment model.
• Guilin University of Technology: Provincial Chinese university explicitly cross-compared with SWUST on CUCAS, serving a similar international student profile in science, engineering, and management programs at comparable tuition levels.
• Lanzhou University of Technology: Western-Chinese provincial university with similar program mix in engineering, science, and management, recruiting international students through standard Chinese university channels.
• Southwest Jiaotong University: Sichuan-based peer university with stronger engineering brand, recruiting international students on CUCAS into STEM programs — a more established competitor for the same inbound student pool SWUST targets.

Broad incumbents

• Chongqing University: Project 985 comprehensive university in neighboring Chongqing with significantly larger scale and brand pull; represents the upper-bound competitor for the same international science and engineering students.
• Sichuan University: Larger, more prestigious Sichuan-based comprehensive university and Project 985 institution; competes for the same international applicant pool from within SWUST's home province but at a higher tier and broader scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southwest University of Science and Technology