Wenzhou Kean
Contact information:
88 Daxue Rd, Ouhai, Wenzhou,
Zhejiang Province, China 325060
Phone: +86 577 5587 0000
Fax: +86 577 5587 0101
E-mail: wku@wku.edu.cn
Kean University is one of only three American universities approved to develop and operate a full-scale campus in China. Set on approximately 500 acres in the rural mountainous region outside of Wenzhou, Wenzhou-Kean University is a thriving, growing campus. The University offers an authentic American educational experience and extensive opportunities for international exchange. The site is accredited through Kean University by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). All courses are taught in English by Kean faculty, and students will earn degrees issued by Kean University and Wenzhou-Kean University.
The campus currently enrolls more than 2,400 students and anticipates an enrollments of about 7,500 full-time students by Fall 2025. All costs for developing and operating the campus are financed by the Chinese partners. Wenzhou-Kean University provides an exceptional model of Sino-US cooperation in education.
Wenzhou-Kean in Zhejiang Province, China, has now reached the end of its seventh year of full operation. Student numbers have grown from a class of 205 in Fall 2012 to more than 2400 students in spring 2019. Wenzhou-Kean had its first commencement in May 2016 with over 180 students graduated. In May 2017, over 200 students graduated at its second commencement in Wenzhou, China. In June 2018, more than 380 students graduated at its third commencement in Wenzhou. In June 2019, 433 students graduated at its fourth commencement in Wenzhou-Kean University. The student body is currently comprised mostly of Chinese nationals, with visiting U.S. nationals from the main Kean campus and international students from Tanzania, Malaysia and U.S. In the first year, recruitment was from Zhejiang Province. In subsequent years, recruitment has expanded to sixteen additional provinces of China and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. All Chinese nationals are recruited through the Chinese National College Entrance Examination. Wenzhou-Kean admits Tier 1 (the top tier) from this examination. In addition, a very small number of students are admitted contingently from Tier 2. The rest of the students are recruited through an alternate admission process referred to as “3-in-1.”
The number of majors and opportunities for study has grown from an original four majors, in Accounting, Finance, English in a Global Setting and Computer Science, to 17 majors in Accounting, Finance, Management, Global Business, Marketing, Computer Science, Biology, Mathematical Science, English in a Global Setting, Communication, Psychology, Architectural Studies, Graphic Design, Product Design and Interior Design. Kean courses are offered either by Kean faculty contracted to the Wenzhou site or by Kean faculty visiting from the U.S. campus.
All entering freshmen are required to participate in an English Intensive Preparatory Program prior to the start of classes. Rising sophomores also have the opportunity to attend the English Immersion Program at Kean University’s main campus. Finally, Wenzhou-Kean students may take one to two semesters at Kean’s Union campus starting in their junior year.
In the first year of operation (2012-2013), Kean held classes and housed students using space within Wenzhou University, as a collaboration between the two institutions. In the second year, Kean moved into its own campus with a general education building for all classes, administrative support offices and conference rooms, a dining hall and the first residence halls and faculty housing. This group of buildings constituted Phase 1 of the campus building project. Phase 2 was completed in Fall 2015 with new residence halls for all incoming and current students. College of Business and Public Management Building and faculty housing were brought into operation in Jan. 2018. Athletics Center has opened in Spring 2018. The second student dormitory area is completed in 2019, and Michael Graves College building and the Student Learning and Activity (Library) will be completed in 2020. In 2013, the Middle States Commission for Higher Education affirmed Wenzhou-Kean as an additional location of Kean University. In 2014, following the successful completion of the “in preparation” probationary period, the Chinese Ministry of Education announced the approval of the establishment of Wenzhou-Kean University, making it the first Chinese-United States cooperative university in the Zhejiang province and the second in China. The Chinese Ministry of Education granted approval for Wenzhou-Kean graduates to receive dual bachelor degree certificates from Kean University and Wenzhou-Kean in addition to a Chinese graduation certificate from Wenzhou-Kean, thereby achieving compliance with relevant regulations in China. In 2018, the Bachelor Degree Conferral Evaluation Panel concluded that Wenzhou-Kean University possesses the qualifications to confer Baccalaureate degrees of the following six academic programs: Finance, Marketing, Global Business, Computer Science, English and Graphic Design.