Founded in 1896 as Nanyang Public School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is the oldest and most prestigious institution of higher learning in China. It is a key national university directly under the Ministry of Education and jointly built with the Shanghai Municipal government. Over the past century, the university has produced more than 400,000 outstanding graduates who have become elites in all walks of life. Among the academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, there are more than 200 Jiaotong alumni; Six of the 23 national heroes of the Two Bombs and One Satellite program are alumni of Jiaotong University. In science and technology, education, healthcare and other fields of society, "Jiaotong people" created many "firsts" in China's modern and contemporary development history: China's earliest internal combustion engine, the earliest electric motor, the earliest Chinese typewriter, etc. The first 10,000-ton vessel, the first nuclear submarine, the first hovercraft, the first hydrofoil boat, the first self-designed fighter jet, the first carrier rocket, the first artificial satellite, the first mitral valve separation of the heart, the first successful transplantation of the same type of orthotopic liver, the first successful rescue of a patient with extensive burns, the first university translation and publishing institution The largest number of local documents, the first academician of humanities and social sciences of the European Academy of Sciences in China, all embody the wisdom and efforts of Jiaotong University's teachers, students and alumni. After more than 120 years of unremitting efforts, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has become a first-class domestic and internationally renowned university that is "comprehensive, research-oriented and international". In the 2026 QS World University Rankings, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is ranked 47th, and in the 2025 ARWU World University Rankings, it is ranked 30th.
The university has 40 colleges/affiliated departments, 13 affiliated hospitals, 13 affiliated research platforms, 23 affiliated units and 5 affiliated enterprises. The university has 18,584 undergraduate students, 15,146 full-time master's students, 14,894 full-time doctoral students, 1,821 degree international students and 11,451 staff members, including 4,130 full-time teachers. There are more than a thousand academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as national-level talents.
The university offers 77 undergraduate programs, covering 10 disciplines including economics, law, literature, education, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management and art. The university has 52 first-level discipline doctoral degree authorization points, covering 10 disciplines including economics, law, literature, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management, art, and education. There are 57 first-level discipline master's degree authorization points, covering 12 disciplines.
