Shenzhen Technology University — guide for international students

Shenzhen Technology University (深圳技术大学, SZTU) is a public institution of higher education established by Guangdong Province and Shenzhen Municipality. It was officially approved by the Ministry of Education in November 2018 and admitted its first cohort of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in 2019; its graduate programs were initially developed in collaboration with Shenzhen University, and graduate admissions are still published under the joint name 深圳技术大学/深圳大学应用技术学院.

SZTU describes its mission as being “a cradle for innovative engineers and entrepreneurs, as well as a source of industrial technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area”. Teaching is organised around applied, industry-linked engineering: the university reports in-depth partnerships with 263 enterprises, six industry colleges (among them the Shenzhen Semiconductor Advanced Manufacturing College, the SF Fengxue Industry College and the BYD Future Mobility College) and 17 elite classes run with companies such as Huawei, Tencent, Baidu, BYD and Loongson.

According to the university’s English introduction (figures as of August 2025), SZTU has 17 colleges and schools offering 40 undergraduate programs across engineering, sciences, liberal arts, management and the arts, with more than 14,500 undergraduates and over 1,100 master’s and doctoral students. The English home page gives a slightly different, undated count of over 14,900 undergraduates and 1,290 postgraduates. The campus is in Pingshan District in eastern Shenzhen, with a total construction area of 1.05 million m².

SZTU admits international students to full-time bachelor’s degree programs only. Its English admission pages (the “2027 SZTU Admission Brochure of Bachelor Programs for International Students”, released 20 August 2026) cover undergraduate study; the university does not publish a master’s or doctoral admission route for international students — its graduate school’s admission pages address domestic applicants — so anyone interested in graduate study should ask the International Office directly before planning on it. Bachelor’s programs last four years (maximum eight), are taught in Chinese across 11 colleges or in English in eight majors, and are applied for online through the university’s international student system (gjxs.sztu.edu.cn) between 1 November 2026 and 1 May 2027. Applicants must be 18–30, hold a valid foreign passport and have finished (or be finishing) high school. Colleges review applications and interview candidates before pre-admission. Applicants who were once Chinese citizens, or who were born abroad to Chinese parent(s), must have held a foreign passport for at least four years and lived overseas for at least two of the last four years (counted to 30 April of the enrolment year). Students nominated by partner universities can also come for semester exchange.

Degree programs

Select a degree level to see tuition, duration and entry requirements.

Non-degree programs

Documents to prepare

Application timeline

These are the dates Shenzhen Technology University published for the 2027 intake.

SZTU lists three scholarships for international bachelor’s students. The university does not publish amounts or quotas — it states that “specific quota and amounts are subject to the annual institutional policies” — and it does not list a Chinese Government (CSC) scholarship channel or a separate Shenzhen municipal scholarship for international students, so ask the International Office which schemes are open in the 2027 cycle and how to apply.

SZTU is an applied-technology university, so its research is closely tied to industry in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area. It has established seven international joint laboratories with universities in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, and its colleges — intelligent manufacturing, artificial intelligence, new materials and new energy, integrated circuits and optoelectronic chips, pharmacy, urban transportation and logistics, health and environmental engineering — mirror the city’s strongest industries. Over 400 faculty members are recognised as high-level talents at or above municipal level, and 15 are listed among the world’s top 2% of scientists.

SZTU reports partnerships with 132 overseas universities and institutions for faculty and student exchange, joint training and research. Its International Cooperation & Exchanges Department hosts regular delegations from partner institutions and runs outbound exchange for SZTU students as well as inbound exchange for students nominated by partners, who can take courses from the list of English-taught courses SZTU publishes each year.

SZTU’s model is built around employability in Shenzhen’s technology sector: six industry colleges and 17 elite classes are co-run with companies, and 40% of teachers have worked in corporate R&D. The university does not publish employment statistics or career services specifically for international students on its English pages, and its first graduates are recent, so there is no notable-alumni record yet. Exchange students on an X visa are not permitted to work.

SZTU’s campus is in Pingshan District in eastern Shenzhen, at 3002 Lantian Road. International students live in single rooms on campus, eat in six canteens and have an on-campus clinic, library, sports centre and shops. The academic year runs from August/September to January and from February/March to July.

Accommodation

Dining

Six canteens serve the campus — E-0, E-00, the Student Restaurant at Zhuyun Garden, C-00 (Lakeview Canteen), C-0 and A-0 — with breakfast roughly 7:00–9:30, lunch 11:00–13:30 and dinner 17:00–19:30 depending on the canteen. Convenience stores and cafés, including a Luckin Coffee, are spread across campus.

Facilities

Reach the International Office (International Cooperation & Exchanges Department), Shenzhen Technology University for questions about applications, documents, scholarships and arrival. Type university programs and offices are based on campus in Shenzhen.