Yale and China

Yale and China

Yale and China Slideshow

Photos of Yale and China events.

Yale University enjoys the distinction of having the deepest relationship with China of any university in the United States with ties dating back to 1835. Yung Wing became the first person from China to earn a degree from an American university when he graduated from Yale College in 1854.

Yale and China’s collaborations and programs stand as examples of how global universities are educating leaders and advancing the frontiers of knowledge, not simply for their own countries, but also for the entire world.

This unique relationship has grown dramatically stronger over the years through joint educational and research projects, student and faculty exchange programs, and an ever-increasing number of Chinese students and scholars at Yale. These student exchanges have developed cross-cultural understanding, and joint research has led to groundbreaking discoveries.

The Yale Alumni network thrives with over 1,300 alumni living in China. There are regional Yale Alumni Clubs in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

Yale operates joint research centers and collaborations at Fudan University, Tsinghua University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Research collaborations are conducted in the fields of climate science, health policy, immunology, sociology, and urban development, among others.

Yale also has developed and continues to develop dual degree programs and other academic exchanges in partnership with key Chinese universities. These include:

  • Tsinghua-Yale Dual Degree Program Tsinghua School of Environment and Yale School of the Environment launched a dual degree program in the Fall 2015
  • SJTU-Yale Dual Degree Program Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Yale School of Public Health launched a dual degree program in the Fall 2016
  • PKU-Yale Clinical Elective Rotation Program Yale School of Medicine and Peking University Health Center launched the joint clinical elective rotation program
  • ZJU-Yale Dual Degree Program Zhejiang University and Yale School of Public Health launched a dual degree program in May 2017
  • Fudan-Yale Cultural Sociology Research Center Yale’s MacMillan Center and Fudan University established this joint center focused on cultural sociology research
  • CSC-Yale Ph.D Degree Program YSPH launched a new Ph.D program sponsored by China Scholarship Council – Fall 2017
  • Central South University-Yale Dual Degree Program Central South University (CSU) and YSPH launched a dual degree program in 2019
  • Tsinghua-Yale Dual Degree Program Tsinghua University and YSPH launched a dual degree program in 2020

Yale provides a range of opportunities for students from China to take classes with Yale students including summer courses and formal exchange programs. During the summer, Yale offers special programs on campus for students from five Chinese universities. In addition, selected undergraduates from Hong Kong University can attend Yale during the academic year through the Yale Visiting International Student Program (Y-VISP), an honors program designed for undergraduate students from partner institutions.

The China Scholarship Council–Yale World Scholars Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences started in 2006 recruits top graduates from nine premier institutions in China for enrollment in Yale’s renowned Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS). The CSC-Yale World Scholars Program in Public Health was founded in 2017 to recruit students for study at the Yale School of Public Health. Both programs bring graduates from leading universities in China to Yale for graduate studies in order to train leaders who can contribute significantly to research in China.

Hundreds of Yale students travel to China each year to participate in study abroad programs or conduct independent research. There are a number of programs for Yale students in China including: the Richard U. Light Fellowship, which funds Yale students for intensive language study in China; the Yale International Internship Program, which provides undergraduates with summer internship placements in China and other countries; the Fox International Fellowship program, which is a direct two-way student exchange partnership with Fudan University, and; the Council on East Asian Studies Field Research Grants, which provide funding for Yale graduate students in the Arts and Sciences to conduct research in China.

Yale and China CTA One Two

China-Yale Advanced University Leadership

The program brings together senior administrators from China’s leading universities to introduce models of structure, organization and best practices they might adapt to their own needs.

Yale Center Beijing

Opened in the fall of 2014 and housed in a 16,500-square-foot space in the Chaoyang District of Beijing, Yale Center Beijing is an important convening space and intellectual hub.

Yale and China CTA Three Four

Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Law Center

The center sponsors programs for advancing the rule of law in China and for the study and advancement of U.S.-China relations more generally.

MacMillan Center

The MacMillan Center’s Council on East Asian Studies is Yale’s interdisciplinary hub for the study of all aspects of East Asia and its constituent peoples, cultures, and societies

Yale and China Newsletter

Yale and China News

Yale and China News