What Soochow University does

Soochow University is a public national key university located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, founded in 1900 as the first modern university in China to operate under a western educational system. It is a member of both Project 211 and the Double First-Class Initiative, jointly sponsored by Jiangsu Provincial People's Government and the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. The university enrolls more than 55,000 students across 131 undergraduate majors, 51 first-tier master's disciplines, 28 first-tier doctoral disciplines, and 29 postdoctoral mobile stations, spanning 12 disciplinary fields from philosophy to medicine. It operates three campuses covering 3,586 mu with 1,580,000+ square meters of building area, a library holding over 4 million volumes, and 82 databases.

The university delivers its core academic and research output through 26 colleges/schools, including three flagship innovation units: the College of Nano Science and Technology (one of 17 first-batch national pilot colleges), C.W. Chu College (innovative professional education), and Tang Wenzhi College (liberal education). Nine disciplines rank in the ESI top 1% globally, with chemistry and materials science reaching the top 0.1%. Research funding comes from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (311 projects in 2018, No.19 nationally and No.1 among provincial universities for 7 consecutive years), national and provincial science awards, and 200+ enterprise partners including Phoenix Television, Shagang Group, China Telecom, COFCO, and Bank of Communications. The affiliated hospital network comprises 16 institutions (3 Class A Level III), serving as both clinical training grounds and revenue-generating medical service providers.

The institution's business model is a hybrid of public funding, tuition, research grants, and hospital service fees. It generates international revenue through 180+ university partnerships across 30+ countries, the Confucius Institute at Portland State University (since 2007), the first Chinese university overseas branch in Laos (since 2011), and an annual intake exceeding 3,000 international student enrollments from over 60 countries. Distribution channels include direct admissions, the dedicated overseas recruitment portal (oversea.suda.edu.cn), Confucius Institute referrals, and municipal government cooperation agreements with 13 cities. The university does not publish audited revenue, but gross fixed assets stand at 7.534 billion yuan.

Name

Soochow University

Legal name

Soochow University

Website

https://eng.suda.edu.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Soochow University is a public national key university in Suzhou, China, founded in 1900, serving 55,000+ students across 131 undergraduate majors and 28 doctoral disciplines, with 9 ESI top 1% disciplines, 16 affiliated hospitals, and 180+ international university partnerships spanning 30+ countries.

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

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Higher education
• University research
• Medical education
• International programs
• Comprehensive university

Headquarters

HQ city

Suzhou Shi

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: Core operational funding from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and Jiangsu Provincial People's Government as a provincial key comprehensive university and Double First-Class Initiative member.
2. Student Tuition and Fees: Tuition and fees from 55,000+ enrolled students across undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and continuing education programs, including overseas students from over 60 countries.
3. Research Grants: Sponsored research funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China (311 projects in 2018, ranking No.19 nationwide and No.1 among provincial universities for 7 consecutive years), national-level and provincial science and technology awards, and industry-sponsored collaborative research.
4. Hospital Services Revenue: Revenue from 16 affiliated hospitals including Class A Level III general and specialized hospitals serving millions of patients annually.
5. Academic Journals and Publications: Revenue from sponsored professional academic journals including Journal of Soochow University (Philosophy & Social Science Edition, Educational Science Edition, Law Edition), Algebra Colloquium, Modern Silk Science & Technology, Chinese Journal of Hemorheology, and Language and Semiotic Studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Soochow University is a public comprehensive research university in Suzhou, China, delivering multi-disciplinary undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs across humanities, sciences, engineering, medicine, economics, management, law, education, and arts, alongside affiliated hospital services and international academic programs delivered through Confucius Institutes and an overseas campus in Laos.

Product overview

Soochow University is a national key university listed in Project 211 and a member of the Double First-Class Initiative, offering comprehensive higher education across 26 colleges/faculties. The university provides undergraduate, graduate (master's and doctoral), and postdoctoral programs across 12 disciplinary fields including philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history, science, engineering, agronomy, medical science, management, and art. Key academic units include the College of Nano Science and Technology (a national pilot college), C.W. Chu College (second classroom for professional education), and Tang Wenzhi College (first classroom for liberal education). The university operates international programs including the Confucius Institute at Portland State University (established 2007) and Soochow University in Laos (established 2011), the first Chinese university overseas branch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Multi-disciplinary bachelor's degree programs across humanities, sciences, engineering, medicine, economics, management, law, education, and arts, serving domestic Chinese high school graduates and international applicants.
• Graduate (Master's and Doctoral) Degree Programs Advanced master's and doctoral degree programs supporting research-intensive study and academic specialization across all university disciplines.
• Affiliated Hospital Medical Services Clinical medical services and residency training delivered through a network of 16 affiliated hospitals, integrating patient care with medical education and clinical research.
• Soochow University in Laos (Overseas Campus Programs) Overseas campus programs delivered in Laos providing international students access to Soochow University credentials and curricula in a cross-border educational setting.
• Confucius Institute Programs Chinese language and cultural education programs operated through the global Confucius Institute network, serving international learners and promoting cross-cultural academic exchange.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked No.19 nationally by number of NSFC-funded projects for 7 consecutive years (311 projects in 2018)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Soochow University in LaoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Founded in 2011, Soochow University in Laos is the first-ever Chinese university overseas and has become an important national stage and cultural icon in the Belt and Road Initiative.
• University of Lagos (Nigeria)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Selected into the China-Africa 20+20 Project by the Ministry of Education in 2010 to assist the construction of Lagos University in Nigeria.
• Portland State University (Confucius Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Since 2007, Soochow University has cooperated with Portland State University in co-establishing the Confucius Institute at Portland State University.
• Municipal and Regional Governments (13 cities)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive cooperation with 13 municipal and regional administrations including Suzhou, Kunshan, Kunming, Panjin, Fuzhou, Fangchenggang, promoting regional economic development and industrial transformation.
• Research Institutes (26 institutions)majorTechnology or IntegrationStrategic cooperation with 26 research institutes including the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, and the No. 214 Institute of China North Industries Group Corporation.
• Enterprise Partners (200+ companies)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with over 200 large and medium-sized enterprises including Phoenix Television, Shagang Group, Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction & Decoration Group, China Telecom, COFCO Corporation, and Bank of Communications.
• National University of SingaporemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarted all-round cooperation with the National University of Singapore in addition to cooperative programs with many well-known universities in different continents.
• University of WaterloomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing bilateral workshop series and cooperation covering pharmacy, material science, chemistry, physics, and expanding from nanotechnology to multiple disciplines. Third bilateral workshop held at Dushuhu Campus.
• Monash UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative programs with Monash University in Australia.
• State University of New York at Stony BrookminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative programs with SUNY Stony Brook.
• University of ArizonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative programs with University of Arizona.
• Western Sydney UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned Academic Cooperation Memorandum in 2017 achieving consensus on talent cultivation, discipline construction, and teaching and scientific researches.
• Partnership Alliance among the Universities in Jiangsu Province and OntariominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActively participated in the Partnership Alliance among the Universities in Jiangsu Province and Ontario.
• Jiangsu-Macao Partnership Alliance among the Universities in Portuguese-Speaking CountriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in the Jiangsu-Macao Partnership Alliance among the Universities in Portuguese-Speaking Countries.
• Korean Nano Technology InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 3rd China-South Korea Nano Technology Symposium held in 2016 at College of Nano Science and Technology, discussing joint research projects, undergraduate exchange programs, and 2+2 joint doctoral programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nanjing University: Premier Jiangsu-based public research university, also under Double First-Class and Project 211, with similarly broad disciplinary coverage. Comparable scale and governance structure, but historically higher ranked; represents the principal competitor in the Jiangsu province for talent, students, and provincial funding.
• Southeast University: Another Jiangsu-based Double First-Class / Project 211 comprehensive research university headquartered in Nanjing. Closest tier-peer to Soochow with strong engineering and medical programs; competes directly for provincial resources, NSFC funding, and Jiangsu-bound students.
• Shandong University: Double First-Class comprehensive research university with comparable scale, broad disciplinary portfolio, and significant medical program. Closest peer outside eastern coastal China for benchmarking program breadth and provincial-government dependency.
• Xi'an Jiaotong University: C9/Project 985 comprehensive research university in Shaanxi with comparable multi-disciplinary breadth and large affiliated hospital network. Comparable in scale and research funding profile.
• Wuhan University: Double First-Class comprehensive research university with similarly broad disciplinary portfolio, large student body, and affiliated hospital network. Provides a useful scale and program-mix benchmark outside Jiangsu.
• Sun Yat-sen University: Double First-Class / Project 985 comprehensive research university in Guangdong with strong medical school and international student programs. Comparable in scale, structure, and ambition to broaden global footprint.
• Huazhong University of Science and Technology: Wuhan-based Double First-Class comprehensive research university with major affiliated hospital network and engineering emphasis. Direct structural peer in scale, scope, and Wuhan-based industry partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Fudan University: Shanghai-based Double First-Class / Project 985 comprehensive research university with comparable multi-disciplinary coverage and stronger medical sciences. Competes with Soochow for elite domestic and international students, particularly in medicine and social sciences.
• Zhejiang University: Neighboring Zhejiang-based Double First-Class / Project 211 / C9 comprehensive research university. Comparable 12-discipline portfolio but with substantially greater scale, endowment, and global ranking; a regional incumbent that absorbs top talent and industry partnerships across the Yangtze River Delta.
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Top-tier Shanghai-based C9/Project 985 comprehensive research university with world-class engineering and medical programs. Represents the upper-bound aspirational peer for Soochow, particularly given competition for international student enrollment and research collaboration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Soochow University