Xi’an Medical University is a full-time general undergraduate institution sponsored by the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province. It consists of three campuses: Hanguang, Weiyang, and Gaoxin, covering a total area of 0.517 kilometers. The university offers graduate education, general undergraduate education, and continuing education, with 885 full-time master students and 14,360 undergraduate students. It has been successively awarded the titles of “Civilized Campus” and “Safe Campus” at the provincial level and has been recognized as demonstration for “Smart Campus” among Shaanxi higher education institutions.

History and Development

The university originated from the Shaanxi Provincial Health Technical School, established in 1951. In 1994, it was upgraded to Shaanxi Medical Junior College with the approval of the State Education Commission. In 2006, it was further upgraded to an undergraduate institution and renamed as Xi’an Medical University with the approval of the Ministry of Education. In 2018, it was designated as a “First-Class Applied Undergraduate Institution” in Shaanxi Province. In 2019, it was included in the first batch of undergraduate admission institutions in Shaanxi Province. In 2024, the university was approved as a master degree-granting institution.

Education and Teaching

The university has 15 teaching units, including the School of Clinical Medicine, School of Pharmacy, and School of Nursing and Rehabilitation. It offers 20 undergraduate programs, including 2 national-level first-class undergraduate programs and 9 provincial-level first-class undergraduate programs. The university has developed 7 national-level first-class undergraduate courses and 35 provincial-level first-class courses. It has undertaken 3 national-level excellent doctor teaching reform pilot projects, established 1 national-level off-campus practice base for university students, and implemented 3 provincial-level “comprehensive professional reform pilot projects” and 3 provincial-level featured majors. It has received 19 provincial-level teaching achievement awards and carried out 39 provincial-level teaching reform projects, along with over 50 undergraduate education quality improvement projects, such as provincial-level online open courses. In recent years, faculty members have participated in compiling 197 textbooks, including 8 provincial-level excellent textbooks. The university has been approved for 187 national-level university student innovation and entrepreneurship training projects. It currently offers master degree programs in Clinical Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Faculty and Staff

The university has 662 full-time faculty members, 311 clinical teachers, and 177 external faculty members. Among the full-time faculty, 357 are senior professors, accounting for 52.81%, and 626 hold master or doctoral degrees, including 249 with doctoral degrees, making up 92.70% of the faculty. The university has 1 adjunct academician, 1 candidate in the National “Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Project,” 2 experts receiving special allowances from the State Council, 1 top medical talent in Shaanxi Province, and 19 provincial-level high-level talents. Additionally, there are 28 provincial young scientific and technological innovation leaders and outstanding talents, and 11 provincial teaching masters and excellent teachers. The university has received national and provincial honors, including the “Wu Yi Labor Medal,” “San Ba Red Banner Bearers” and “Advanced Workers” titles. The faculty includes 2 provincial-level “Huang Danian-style Teacher Teams,” 3 “Sanqin Scholar” and “Sanqin Talent” innovation teams, 3 scientific and technological innovation teams, and 10 university youth innovation teams.

Scientific Research and Discipline Construction

The university hosts 1 national drug clinical trial institution, 3 Shaanxi provincial key laboratories, 1 engineering technology research center, 2 key research bases for philosophy and social sciences, and 1 science popularization education base. It also has 3 engineering research centers, 1 key laboratory for higher education institutions, 1 Shaanxi Future Industry Innovation Institute, 1 Xi’an Academician Expert Workstation, 8 key laboratories, 6 international technology cooperation bases, 1 engineering technology research center, 1 technology innovation think tank, and 12 provincial clinical research centers and sub-centers, forming a relatively comprehensive scientific and technological innovation system.

The university has undertaken 87 national research projects, over 600 provincial and ministerial projects, more than 900 other vertical research projects, and over 200 horizontal research projects. It has won 8 provincial science and technology awards, 29 Shaanxi higher education science and technology awards, 5 excellent humanities and social science research achievement awards, and 2 Xi’an science and technology progress awards. The university has been granted 624 national patents and has collaborated with enterprises such as Panlong Pharmaceutical, Disai Pharmaceutical, and Shanxi Guangyuyuan to tackle technological challenges, completing the commercialization of over 130 scientific and technological achievements.

Currently, the university has 4 provincial advantageous disciplines, 7 university-level key disciplines, 10 key supported disciplines, and 6 emerging interdisciplinary disciplines. Its disciplines of Clinical Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology are ranked in the top 1% of the ESI global rankings.

Medical Services and Clinical Teaching Resources

The university has 6 directly affiliated hospitals with a total of 6,200 beds and 31 teaching hospitals. Among them, the Affiliated Provincial People’s Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital, and the Second Affiliated Hospital are all Grade A tertiary hospitals.

The Affiliated Provincial People’s Hospital serves as a national talent introduction base, a training base for general practitioners, standardized resident physician training, and coronary heart disease interventional therapy, and an emergency medical rescue center. The First Affiliated Hospital is a national resident physician training base, a national drug clinical trial institution, the only national key general practice training base in Shaanxi Province, and hosts the Shaanxi Respiratory Disease Prevention and Treatment Engineering Research Center. The Ophthalmology Department of Second Affiliated Hospital is part of the National Ophthalmic Disease Clinical Medical Research Center and has established the first “Northwest Eye Immunology Alliance.”

Collaboration and Communication

The university has established strategic cooperation with more than 30 domestic and international universities in talent training, scientific research, and discipline development. It actively participates in international educational organizations such as the “Belt and Road International Medical Education Alliance,” the “Belt and Road Language and Culture University Alliance” and the “China-Russia Medical University Alliance.” In collaboration with the China Education Association for International Exchange, the university successfully launched the ICC (International Creative College) project in 2024.

Social Services

Since its establishment, the university has trained over 150,000 healthcare professionals for the Party and the country, encouraging graduates to work at grassroots regions. Approximately 80% of its graduates are employed in Shaanxi Province, providing strong human resource support for the local healthcare industry. The university actively responds to national strategies such as “Healthy China” and “Aging Population Response” by leveraging its strengths in medical education. It continuously improves the quality of training in continuing education, grassroots medical personnel training, elderly care skill enhancement, and healthcare research, building an integrated training base for education, training, learning, practice, research, and competition. It contributes to the development of “Healthy Shaanxi” with its distinctive strengths.

Development Prospects

Guided by Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the university remains committed to the mission of “cultivating talent for the Party and the country.” It adheres to the medium and long-term strategic goals set forth in the university’s Party Congress and continues to advance the construction of first-class disciplines and first-class majors. By fully implementing the new development philosophy, aligning with the national strategies of “Rejuvenating the Country through Science and Education,”  “Strengthening the Nation through Talent” and “Innovation-Driven Development” and upholding the “Four Orientations” principle, the university is dedicated to serving regional economic and social development. It follows an intensive development path and strives to enhance its capacity in talent cultivation, scientific research, social services, cultural heritage and innovation, and international cooperation. Xi’an Medical University aims to establish itself as a first-class teaching and research-oriented medical university in Northwest China.

(statistics by February 26, 2025)