Year in Review: Top 10 News Stories of 2025
Since its establishment beside Fairy Lake in 2014, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) has made significant strides in its development. Transforming rapidly from a new campus into a world-class research university, it has established eight Schools, one Graduate School, and eight Colleges, offering a diverse array of 30 undergraduate and 57 postgraduate programmes. With over 20 cohorts of graduates now nurtured across bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels, the University has firmly established itself as a global academic hub rooted in Chinese heritage.
As President Xu Yangsheng has emphasised, an international university must be at the forefront of the global higher education innovation network while forging its own pathway for nurturing world-class talent locally. Guided by the philosophy of "combining tradition with modernity, bringing together China and the West, and integrating arts and sciences," the University fosters an educational environment of "learning, thinking, practising, and enlightening." By placing equal weight on general education and the arts, CUHK-Shenzhen cultivates the fertile ground necessary for the growth of future global leaders.
Join us in reviewing the Top 10 News of 2025. From pioneering AI education and expanding campus infrastructure to recruiting elite global faculty and deepening medical-educational integration, these highlights reflect the University's decisive steps towards building a premier hub for future education.
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1. Launch of the School of Artificial Intelligence: Building a World-Class Platform for Science and Education
On 13 February 2025, the University officially inaugurated its eighth school—the School of Artificial Intelligence (SAI). The School aims to elevate teaching and research standards in Chinas AI sector, striving for systematic, original breakthroughs with international impact. Dedicated to nurturing elite interdisciplinary talent for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the nation, SAI provides crucial intellectual support for the sustainable development of the AI industry. In its very first year, the School successfully established a complete training pathway, recruiting students across undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels.
Related Reading:?CUHK-Shenzhen Launches New School of Artificial Intelligence to Advance AI Research in Greater Bay Area
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2. School of Music Unveils New Campus: Diverse Spaces Drive High-Quality Talent Development
In August 2025, the new campus of the School of Music officially opened, marking a significant milestone in the University' s expansion. Following a construction period of nearly three years beginning in October 2022, the main facilities are now fully operational. Faculty and students from the School of Music and the Eighth College have relocated to the new site, embarking on a vibrant new chapter of campus life.
Related Reading:?School of Music Unveils New Campus: An Ideal Environment for Art Education
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3. Global Talent Influx Accelerates: University Solidifies Status as World-Class Faculty Hub
Benchmarking against top-tier universities worldwide, CUHK-Shenzhen continues to recruit talent on a global scale. From November 2024 to September 2025, the University appointed 73 new full-time faculty members. The University has now assembled a distinguished team of over 700 world-class scholars, including six Nobel laureates, over 50 fellows of national and international academies, and more than 100 national-level experts. Notably, 146 entries from the University were listed in the "2025 World's Top 2% Scientists List," further highlighting the institution's exceptional strength in international faculty resources.
Faculty strength across the disciplines continues to grow robustly. The School of Management and Economics now boasts 138 professors, whilst the School of Science and Engineering hosts 123 full-time professors, including 12 academy fellows and 44 scholars listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists. The School of Humanities and Social Science is home to over 180 international scholars, featuring five Elsevier Highly Cited Chinese Researchers. The School of Data Science has 91 full-time professors, with 27 ranked among the world's top scientists; the School of Medicine has recruited 72 full-time professors, including 11 academy fellows; and the School of Music comprises 92 faculty members led by internationally renowned musicians and educators.
Related Reading:?CUHK-Shenzhen Sets New Record in 2025 World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists List
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4. Partnering with CUHK: Forging a Science and Education Hub in the Greater Bay Area
The strategic alliance between CUHK-Shenzhen and CUHK deepened significantly in 2025, furthering the "One Brand, Two Campuses" vision through landmark research funding and innovative cross-border degree programmes. On 14 April 2025, the universities launched the "1+1+1 Joint Collaboration Fund Project." By October, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology had approved 46 joint initiatives under this scheme as provincial-level projects. The call for proposals attracted overwhelming interest, with 137 applications involving 901 researchers—far exceeding the original scope. These projects concentrate on high-impact fields such as artificial intelligence, medicine, and life sciences, signalling robust research integration between the Shenzhen and Hong Kong campuses.
In response to the Ministry of Educations call for high-calibre STEM teachers, the universities jointly introduced a Master of Education programme under the National Excellent Teacher Training Initiative (NETTI). Designed to develop professional educators with deep subject knowledge and pedagogical expertise, this programme provides a pathway for graduates to teach in Mainland primary and secondary schools without sitting the national qualification examination, thereby supplying top-tier talent to the region's education sector.
2025 also marked the debut of three Collaborative Double Major Programmes featuring a "2+2" learning model: Interdisciplinary Data Analytics & X, Aerospace Science and Earth Informatics & X, and Materials Science and Engineering & X. As the first of their kind in the Greater Bay Area, these undergraduate programmes allow students to immerse themselves in both Shenzhen and Hong Kong. By combining a core science or engineering discipline with a flexible second major ("X"), the University is pioneering a cross-border educational model that equips students with interdisciplinary skills and a global perspective.
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5. CUHK-Shenzhen Granted Postgraduate Recommendation Eligibility, Among the First Sino-Foreign Universities
Approved by the Ministry of Education in 2025, CUHK-Shenzhen was officially granted the eligibility to recommend outstanding fresh undergraduates for admission to postgraduate programmes without the standard entrance examination. This designation makes the University one of the first Sino-foreign cooperative institutions to be included in this prestigious national scheme. Consequently, eligible high-achieving graduates can now bypass the written phase of the National Postgraduate Entrance Examination and proceed directly to the interview stages at leading domestic universities. This milestone signifies authoritative recognition of the University's educational quality and talent cultivation standards, opening a vital new pathway for outstanding undergraduates to advance their academic careers.
Related Reading:?CUHK-Shenzhen Granted Postgraduate Recommendation Eligibility, Among the First Sino-Foreign Universities
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6. CUHK-Shenzhen Hosts National High School Principals Conference: Exploring Education Reform in the AI Era
From 19 to 20 September 2025, the University hosted the Annual Conference of Senior High School Principals (2025). The event gathered over 2,000 participants, including education experts, principals from China's leading high schools, and Shenzhen government officials. The conference served as a platform for comprehensive discussions on the transformation of teaching models in the artificial intelligence era, the digital transition of high school education, and the fundamental cultivation of innovative top-tier talent to support the nation's educational development goals.
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7. 2024 Employment Quality Report: Graduates Achieve Record Highs in Further Studies and Career Placements
On 27 February 2025, the University released the Employment Quality Report for the Class of 2024. The overall placement rate remained robust at 95.23%, maintaining a leading position among Chinese universities. Notably, the percentage of graduates pursuing further studies reached a record high of 84.17%, a year-on-year increase of 3.25 percentage points. The quality of these placements is exceptional, with 78.72% of graduates admitted to universities ranked within the global top 50, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Oxford, and Cambridge.?
Primary employment destinations remain first-tier cities and provincial capitals, including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong. Additionally, several graduates have embarked on research careers at institutions such as Stanford University and the University of Chicago. Over the past 11 years, a growing number of alumni have returned from overseas study to make significant contributions to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the nation across various sectors.
Related Reading:?CUHK-Shenzhen Releases 2024 Employment Quality Report
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8. University Medical Centre Launches Outpatient Services: Building an Integrated System for Medicine, Education, and Research
On 12 November 2025, the Medical Centre of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen officially launched its outpatient services. The initial departments opening include Internal Medicine and Specialist Clinics for Allergy, Nephrology, and Respiratory Medicine. Jointly established by the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission, CUHK, and CUHK-Shenzhen, this comprehensive Grade 3A facility is located at 401 Jihua Road, Longgang District. With a site area of 92,100 square metres, a total floor area of 590,000 square metres, and a planned capacity of 3,000 beds, the Centre is poised to become a world-class, smart research-driven medical hub serving the Greater Bay Area.
As the University's directly affiliated hospital, the Medical Centre functions as a vital clinical teaching base. It integrates top-tier domestic and international resources to construct a cohesive "University-School-Hospital" ecosystem. In parallel with this clinical expansion, the School of Medicine achieved significant global recognition in 2025. The School was listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and secured accreditations from major medical bodies in the United States, Canada, and Australia. These milestones underscore the University's commitment to upholding global medical education standards, empowering graduates to excel on the international stage.
Related Reading:?School of MEDICINE Achieves Dual Sponsorship from United States and Canadian Medical Bodies
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9. Professors Luo Zhiquan, Zhu Shiping, and Tang Benzhong Receive Top Academic Honours
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2025 has been a banner year for CUHK-Shenzhen, with distinguished faculty members receiving prestigious national and international accolades, further affirming the University's status as a global research powerhouse. Vice President Luo Zhiquan was awarded the inaugural Hua Prize at the 10th International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians (ICCM). As one of only two recipients globally, Professor Luo was honoured for his pioneering contributions to optimisation theory, artificial intelligence, and communication applications. Vice President Zhu Shiping was elected as a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). He is among the 24 distinguished scholars worldwide elected this year, recognised for his original contributions to polymer chemical engineering and materials science. Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, Professor Tang Benzhong, received the 2024 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award. This accolade celebrates his groundbreaking role as the pioneer of "Aggregation-Induced Emission" (AIE) research, acknowledging both his significant scientific breakthroughs and his profound industrial impact.
Related Reading:?Vice President Zhi-Quan Luo Honored with Inaugural Hua Prize at ICCM 2025
Professor Zhu Shiping Elected Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
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10. SSE Student Xu Yang Breaks Guinness World Record with Micro-Quadcopter "Prowess"
In March 2025, Xu Yang, a student from the School of Science and Engineering and Muse College, broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest remote-controlled (RC) micro-quadcopter. Piloting his self-designed drone, "Prowess," Xu clocked a speed of 340.78 km/h, surpassing the previous global benchmark.
This achievement highlights the efficacy of the University's innovation ecosystem. With access to nearly 120 world-class research laboratories, undergraduates are actively encouraged to engage in practical research. This supportive environment enables students to secure patents, publish papers, and win international competitions, laying a firm foundation for their future careers.
Related Reading:?SSE Student Xu Yang Breaks Guinness World Record with Self-built Microdrone Quadcopter “Prowess”
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