Founded in 1924 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen— a great leader of the 20th century, Sun Yat-sen University is a vibrant community of scholarship and learning characterized by its revolutionary spirit. The mission of SYSU is to advance knowledge and educate students in arts, science, technology, and other academic areas that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

At present, Sun Yat-sen University is a comprehensive university including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technical science, medical science, pharmacology and management science. There are 25 schools and colleges, including the School of Humanities, Lingnan College, School of Foreign Languages, School of Law, School Political Science and Public Administration, School of Business, School of Education, School of Communication and Design, School of mathematics and Computational Science, School of Physics and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Geology and Planning, School of Environmental Science and Project, School of Life Science, School of Information Science and Technology, School of Engineering, School of Oversea Education Exchange, Sun Yat-sen Medical College, School of Fundamental Medicine, School of Public Health, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Nursing School, School of Pharmacology, as well as the Department of Earth Science, the Graduate School, School of Software, School of Network Education, College of Continuing Education, etc.

Sun Yat-sen University offers a wide variety of subject areas and complete disciplines. In the programs of graduate studies, there are 22 disciplines leading to Doctorate degrees and 32 to Master degrees, of which 171 specialties lead to Doctorate degree, 236 specialties lead to Master degree; in addition, there are 17 branches of studies leading to professional degrees, which are: Doctorate degree in clinical medicine, Master of business administration (MBA), Master of public administration (MPA), Master of judicial studies (JD), Master of computer technology, Master of environmental project, Master of software engineering, Master of electronic and communication engineering. and Master of biology engineering . The University has 12 post-doctorate research floating stations of Chinese language and literature, history, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, fundamental medical science, clinical medical science, management, public management, philosophy, environmental science and engineering; 20 key disciplines at the national level and 43 key disciplines at Guangdong provincial level.

In undergraduate education, there are 89 specialties in undergraduate programs, with 6 national bases of fundamental sciences research and training, such as philosophy, Chinese language and literature, history, physics, chemistry and biology, 25 undergraduate specialties of name-brand specialties at the provincial-level. There are also the national bases of education in cultural qualities for college students and the first athletic training base for college student in China. In this year, the number of students of all types amounts to 70000,of which 3800 are doctorate candidates, 13000 are graduate students, 28000 are undergraduate students, and 1100 are international students.

Sun Yat-sen University has abundant qualified faculty members. The university has the right to evaluate and confer the titles of full professor and associate professor. There are 12000 faculty and staff members, of which 805 are Ph D candidate supervisors, over 860 are full professors, 1500 are associate professors. Outstanding talented persons keep coming forth from the faculties, there are 13 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 4 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 15 young and middle-aged experts with outstanding contributions at the national level, 37 recipients of national fund for outstanding young scientists, 19 persons selected in the first and second rounds of the "project of talent selection" by the Ministry of Personnel, 19 candidates chosen for the "plan of training excellent scholars for the new century" by the Ministry of Education, 16 professors specially accredited with the "Yangtze Scholar Scheme" of the Ministry of Education, and 16 experts with outstanding contributions selected by the Department of Health.

The university has a batch of laboratories and research bases with advanced standards and complete facilities. At present, there are 6 national key laboratories, 6 key laboratories designated by the Ministry of Education, 6 key research bases in the humanities designated by the Ministry of Education, 3 key laboratories designated by the Ministry of Health, and 10 key laboratories designed by Guangdong province.

Sun Yat-sen University is located in Guangdong, neighboring Hongkong and Macao, and is active in international academic exchange. The merge with Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Science has brought a wider range of fields in international exchange. The University has established academic exchange with more than 100 well-known universities, academic institutes and societies in countries and areas of America, Canada, Japan, Australia, England, France and Germany, and has signed exchange agreements with 40 of them. Since reform and opening-up, the alumni at home and abroad have given Sun Yat-sen University vigorous supports by donating money for teaching, research and residential buildings, instruments and apparatus; for all kinds of books and reference and for establishing awards.