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Beijing Normal University

Beijing Normal University
Our Strategic Partnership agreement with Beijing Normal University, China, signed on 28 November 2019, strengthens our long-standing relationship and extensive collaboration within fields of mutual interest.

As a result of the close alliance between Beijing Normal University and Cardiff University, our collaboration – which now spans all three Colleges at Cardiff– has enabled a rich history of research exchange, student transfer agreements, student mobility and both short and long-term teaching activities.

Partnership collaboration in all subject areas is welcomed; read on to explore how you can become involved.

BNU, a Project 211 and 985 Double First-Class Initiative Institution, is widely acknowledged as one of China’s premier education institutions.

Beijing Normal University (BNU) is the successor of the Faculty of Education of Imperial University of Peking, established in 1902, which is China’s earliest modern teacher education institution of higher learning.

BNU has developed to become a comprehensive and research-intensive university.

BNU has been named as a Double First-Class University with twelve subject areas supported under the World Class Disciplines initiative through the China Ministry of Education: Pedagogy, Philosophy, Foreign Language and Literature, Education, Psychology, Chinese language and literature, Chinese History, Mathematics, Geography, System Science, Ecology, Environment Science and Engineering, Drama and Film Studies.

BNU has two campuses: Beijing and Zhuhai. The Beijing campus has 23,241 full-time students, including 9,832 undergraduates, 13,409 graduates and over 1,000 long-term international students. BNU’s Zhuhai campus was officially approved by Ministry of Education in April 2019; according to latest figures, it has 2,322 full time graduates.

BNU has more than 8000 faculty members, including 2562 full-time teachers, 94% of whom hold doctoral degrees.

The Cardiff-China Joint College for Chinese Studies is a unique collaboration in teaching and research between the School of Modern Languages in Cardiff and the School of Chinese Language and Literature in Beijing Normal University.

Students study for a BA in Chinese from Cardiff University and a BA in Chinese Language and Culture from Beijing Normal University, spending their first year in Cardiff, years two and three in Beijing, and their final year in Cardiff.

The first graduates from Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University’s (BNU) joint college have spoken of their pride in this news article.

To find out more about the Cardiff-China Joint College and how to apply, contact Daniel Bickerton at bickertondi@cardiff.ac.uk.

First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Liu Yandong and Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor, Colin Riordan.
First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Liu Yandong and Cardiff University Vice-Chancellor, Colin Riordan.
Flag of the People's Republic of China

Enter the dragons

China’s Vice Premier to oversee launch of Welsh-Chinese college.

delegates from Chinas BNU university

Cardiff-China joint college launched

Partnership will create flagship dual degree programme in Chinese Studies

Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University have an active student exchange agreement in place.

Student Exchange Agreements enable the reciprocal exchange of students for a semester or year of study or research abroad at the partner institution.

For more information on our student exchange agreement with BNU, please contact

Global Opportunities

Student Experiences

Hear from our students on their experiences of the partnership between Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University:

Students from Beijing Normal University standing outside Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University

Social Work exchange with Beijing Normal University

Summer school exchange with Cardiff University and Beijing Normal University

Summer School China

First Psychology Summer School delegates welcomed from China

This week saw the first delegates from Beijing Normal University and Wuhan University arrive in Cardiff for this year’s Psychology Summer School.

Cardiff-BNU Partnership Fund

As part of our Strategic Partnership with Beijing Normal University (BNU), a joint collaborative research fund has been established. The fund intends to foster ties between the parties and to stimulate staff and student exchange leading to the development of new areas of joint research, innovation and educational initiatives.

Find out how to apply on the staff intranet.

International Partnerships Engagement Manager

Sophie Lewis