Xi’an Shiyou University (XSYU) is the only multidisciplinary university in Northwest China with distinctive petroleum and petrochemical characteristics. As the earliest and most strategically positioned institution of its kind in Northwest China, it was founded under the ardent care and advocacy of veteran proletarian revolutionaries such as Comrade Xi Zhongxun. Its educational history dates back to the Lanzhou Surveying and Drilling Training Class administered by the Petroleum General Bureau of the Central Ministry of Fuel Industry in the early years of the People’s Republic of China.

Founded in October 1951 with the approval of the Financial and Economic Committee of the Northwest Military and Administrative Committee, Xi’an Shiyou University originated as the Northwest Petroleum Technical College under the Northwest Petroleum Administration Bureau, affiliated with the Central Fuel Industry Ministry. In 1958, it was upgraded to a full-fledged undergraduate institution and renamed Xi’an Petroleum Institute. After being converted into a factory in 1969, the school resumed operations in 1980 with approval from the State Council, then under the supervision of the Ministry of Petroleum Industry. It achieved several milestones: Initially, the institution was authorized to confer master’s degrees in 1990; then, in 2000, the institution was transferred from the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to a joint central-local governance system, primarily governed by the Shaanxi Provincial Government. The Ministry of Education later approved the university’s current name, Xi’an Shiyou University, and authorized it to supervise doctoral candidates in conjunction with the university. As of 2018, the university has been accredited as an institution granting doctorates.

XSYU is a co-built university by three major petroleum companies and the Shaanxi Provincial Government. It is a university under the national “14th Five-Year Plan for Advancing Education Power Project”, a “Demonstration Base for International Students Studying in China” designated by the Ministry of Education, an institution with independent enrollment qualification for international students under the Chinese Government Scholarship program, a Shaanxi Provincial “Double First-Class” cultivation university, and a university under the High-Level University Construction Program in Shaanxi Province.

There are currently three campuses at the university: Yanta Campus (No. 18, East Section of Dianzi 2nd Road, Xi’an), Mingde Campus (No. 11, Zhangba East Road, Xi’an), and Huyi Campus (No. 560, Fengjing Road, Xi’an). The total floor area is 2,078 mu, and the total fixed and intangible assets are 3.527 billion yuan.

Students are recruited from all 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government), as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. It has 18 colleges (departments), with a total enrollment of more than 18,000 undergraduates, more than 5,400 master’s and doctoral students, over 1,000 international students in China, and approximately 27,000 students in continuing education. As a university, we have fully implemented the fundamental objective of cultivating virtue through education, adhere to the principle of “putting undergraduate education at the center”, and strive to cultivate socialist builders and successors capable of all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills. Over the years, it has produced more than 190,000 outstanding talents of various types, contributing greatly to the development of the regional economy and social development.

As a comprehensive university with strengths in nine fields, including science, engineering, management, economics, law, liberal arts, education, art, and interdisciplinary areas, XSYU is respected for its distinctive disciplinary and professional strengths. An integrated undergraduate-master-doctoral talent cultivation system is available at the institution. Currently, the university offers 3 first-level disciplines that are authorized to confer doctoral degrees, 18 first-level disciplines that are authorized to confer master’s degrees, and 15 professional master’s degree categories. Its disciplines of Engineering, Chemistry, Geosciences, and Materials Science each rank among the top 1% in ESI global rankings, and it has been awarded the title of “National Distinctive Engineering Field for Master of Engineering Education”. There is one Shaanxi Provincial First-Class Discipline, seven provincially dominant disciplines, and one provincially characteristic construction project in philosophy and social sciences. It houses a Postdoctoral Research Station in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, as well as a Provincial Postdoctoral Innovation Base. There are 55 undergraduate programs at this institution, including 12 national first-class undergraduate programs, 5 national-level characteristic specialties, 5 pilot programs of the Ministry of Education’s “Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program”, 3 national pilot projects for comprehensive specialization reform, 15 provincial first-class undergraduate programs, 10 provincial famous brand specialties, 5 provincially recognized famous brand specialties, and 12 second-year bachelor’s degree programs. Furthermore, it is designated as a university authorized to recommend outstanding students for admission to master’s programs without an entrance examination.

XSYU has steadily expanded its talent pool, continuously optimized its structure, and continually improved the quality of its faculty. Over 2,000 faculty and staff members are currently employed at the university, among them more than 1,350 full-time teachers, of whom over 700 hold senior professional titles (including 47 professors Level-II and Level-III). Additionally, there are more than 690 doctoral and master’s supervisors, and over 870 teachers with doctorates.

The university has 1 full-time Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, nearly 20 national-level talents (including national leading talents, recipients of national major talent programs, selected members of the National Hundred, Thousand and Ten-Thousand Talents Project, National Model Teachers, experts enjoying special government allowances from the State Council, and talents under postdoctoral special programs), and over 80 talents at the ministry and provincial levels. These include Excellent Talents in the New Century of the Ministry of Education, Experts with Outstanding Contributions in Shaanxi Province, Innovative Talents of the “Sanqin Talents” Program, young talents, leading talents and young top-notch talents under the Special Support Program, recipients of the Shaanxi Provincial Outstanding Youth Fund, Shaanxi Provincial Middle-aged and Young Scientific and Technological Leading Talents, talents of the “Six Batches” Program in Shaanxi’s publicity, ideological and cultural system, recipients of the “Young Outstanding Talents Support Program” in Shaanxi’s ordinary colleges and universities, as well as Shaanxi Provincial Model Teachers of Ethics, Advanced Individuals in Teacher Ethics, Shaanxi Provincial Advanced Workers, Excellent Teachers, and Famous Teachers. In addition, there is 1 National Huang Danian-style Teacher Team, 2 Shaanxi Provincial Huang Danian-style Teacher Teams, and 21 Shaanxi Provincial Teaching Teams.

The university places a strong emphasis on teaching quality, continuously deepens educational reforms, and steadily enhances the quality of talent cultivation. In 2007, it was awarded an “Excellent” rating in the Undergraduate Teaching Assessment by the Ministry of Education. In recent years, the university has received two Second Prizes of the National Teaching Achievement Award, 53 Provincial Teaching Achievement Awards, and 13 awards from the China Society for Industry–Education Integration. It has developed 13 national-level textbooks for general higher education and received numerous honors, including 1 Provincial Grand Prize, 7 First Prizes, and 14 Second Prizes for outstanding undergraduate textbooks. It has also won 2 Provincial Awards for excellent graduate textbooks and 5 Educational Achievement Awards from the Shaanxi Degree and Graduate Education Society. To date, the university has been approved for 51 national and provincial first-class undergraduate courses, 62 provincial excellent courses, 13 model courses for ideological and political education, and 1 demonstration center for ideological and political teaching research. It has established 5 provincial demonstration workstations for graduate joint training, 2 pilot colleges for innovation and entrepreneurship education reform, 1 practical training base for innovation and entrepreneurship, 17 demonstration centers for experimental teaching and virtual simulation, 15 innovation zones for talent cultivation models, and 7 off-campus practice education bases. Furthermore, the university has undertaken 101 industry–university collaborative education projects approved by the Ministry of Education, 6 national and provincial “New Engineering” and “New Liberal Arts” research and practice projects, 7 provincial graduate education reform pilot projects, and 11 teaching cases for professional degree programs in Shaanxi Province. Students have won over 8,400 awards in academic competitions at or above the provincial level. The university has also been recognized as a provincial base for science education, labor education, innovation and entrepreneurship practice, as well as a research and training hub for entrepreneurship education. It is also a designated science education base of the China Petroleum Society.

The university is committed to cultivating a distinctive talent development philosophy known as the “Four Practical Qualities and One Innovation”: honesty, solid foundation, simplicity, down-to-earth work ethic, and innovation. Graduates are highly regarded and well received by employers across various industries. The university has been recognized by both the Ministry of Education and the Shaanxi provincial government as an outstanding institution for graduate employment, and was designated a provincial-level model for employment and entrepreneurship guidance services. Its employment efforts have been widely featured in national and provincial mainstream media, including but not limited to People’s Daily, CCTV, Guangming Daily, China Youth Daily, China Education Daily, China Petroleum Daily, and Shaanxi Daily. The university’s educational legacy and achievements in talent cultivation were featured in the documentary Sincerity, produced to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Xi Zhongxun’s birth.

XSYU is committed to serving the national energy strategy and the regional economic and social development needs through robust scientific research and continuous advancement in technological innovation. The university hosts 54 national and provincial-level research bases, 1 provincial-level key innovation team, and 14 youth innovation teams recognized by Shaanxi Province. It has developed 7 distinctive and advantageous research fields, notably in oil and gas exploration theory, technology, and engineering applications. Over the past five years, the university has undertaken more than 900 national and provincial research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Social Science Foundation, securing a total of 1.04 billion yuan in research funding. The university has received over 80 national and provincial science and technology awards, obtained more than 700 authorized national invention patents, published over 350 academic monographs, and had more than 2,500 papers indexed in leading databases such as SCI, EI, and ISTP.

XSYU actively promotes international exchange and cooperation, continuously enhancing its global engagement and capacity for internationalized education. It initiated the “Silk Road Energy Education, Technology, and Industry–University–Research Alliance”, aiming to build a collaborative platform under the framework of “the Belt and Road Initiative”. To date, the university has established partnerships with over 120 overseas institutions, including 28 universities in the United States through the “1+2+1” Sino-U.S. Talent Development Program. It also runs joint programs such as “2+2” dual bachelor’s degrees with partner universities in the U.S., Russia, and South Korea, as well as “4+1” and “4+2” master’s pathways and PhD scholarship programs with institutions in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and other countries. Exchange programs are also conducted with universities in Russia, the U.S., and institutions in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Students benefit from winter and summer short-term overseas study programs in countries such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Japan. The university actively recruits international students and has been designated by the Ministry of Education as both a Host Institution for Chinese Government Scholarship Students and a National Demonstration Base for Studying in China. It successfully passed the first national re-accreditation for the quality of higher education for international students in China, earning a B-level certification valid for six years. Currently, the university ranks among the top in international student enrollment within its sector and among provincial institutions. It has trained over 10,000 international students from 93 countries.

XSYU has received numerous honorary titles over the years, including “National Advanced Collective of Education Discipline Inspection and Supervision”, “Shaanxi Advanced Grassroots Party Organization”, “Shaanxi Advanced University Party Committee”, “Shaanxi Model Collective for Public Communication and Civic Education in the Education System”, “Shaanxi Model Collective Ethnic Unity and Progress”, “Outstanding Institution of the ‘Double Hundred Project’”, “National Advanced Unit for News and Publicity in the Petroleum and Chemical Industry”, etc. Additionally, the university has been recognized as both “Civilized Campus” and “Safe Campus” by Shaanxi’s education authorities. The Iron Man Wang Jinxi Memorial Hall has been approved as Shaanxi Patriotism Education Base and Shaanxi Party History Education Base.

XSYU upholds the guiding philosophies inspired by the Petroleum Spirit, the Iron Man Spirit, and the Yan’an Spirit—core cultural values rooted in China’s industrial and revolutionary heritage. These principles shape our commitment to nurturing students with perseverance, patriotism, and a strong work ethic. Guided by the school spirit of “Unity, Diligence, Truth-Seeking, and Innovation”, the motto “Diligent Study, Practical Application, and Relentless Self-Improvement”, and the educational philosophy of “Patriotism and Dedication, Hard Work, Scientific Integrity, and Innovation”, the university fully implements the fundamental mission of fostering moral character and academic excellence. It remains committed to quality-driven, distinctive, coordinated, and innovation-led development, while continuously enhancing our capacity in talent cultivation, scientific research, social service, cultural inheritance and innovation, and international cooperation and strives to build a high-level teaching and research university with distinctive strengths and social impact.