Business and management education center co-founded by the Chinese government and the European Union (EU) in 1994, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the EFMD serving as its executive partners. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra in Ghana, and Zurich in Switzerland. They offer MBA, Finance MBA, EMBA, Global EMBA, Hospitality EMBA, Executive Education and PhD programs. CEIBS was the first business school on the Chinese mainland to have been accredited by both EQUIS and AACSB and the only business school in Asia to have simultaneously made it to the Financial Times’ top 5 list of MBA and EMBA programs. 37% of the students are international students.

Higher education stalwart with four campuses across the city: Hongkou, Yangpu, Xuhui and Pudong. The school offers programs in the sciences, medicine, humanities, and research. Fudan also offers international student programs, including degree-seeking programs (undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs), “non-degree seeking” programs (ordinary non-degree seeking, high-level non-degree seeking, research students, and short-term organization studies), and language programs (general language programs, summer Chinese classes, and Chinese language class auditing). Along with Jiaotong, Fudan is frequently ranked as one of Shanghai’s top universities.

STEM-focused higher education institution co-founded by several other schools in 1952. East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) has three campuses: Xuhui, Fengxian and Jinshan. Although originally focused on chemical science, the school now offers courses covering, for example, materials science, engineering and agriculture. The ECUST library stocks over three million books, and – through a focused “innovation system” for training athletes – their table tennis team has recently been very successful at international competitions.

Shanghai outpost of New York University, with a campus in Pudong. NYU Shanghai is China’s first Sino-US research university and the third degree-granting campus of the NYU Global Network. The school was founded in 2012 by New York University and East China Normal University with the support of the city of Shanghai and the district of Pudong. It offers an American-style college experience: students complete a core curriculum in the liberal arts before choosing between 19 majors and a selection of multidisciplinary minors. Both international and Chinese students can apply.

Large university with two main campuses in the city: Xuhui and Fengxian. Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) was founded in 1954. The school now has over 40,000 students, 18 colleges and 85 undergraduate disciplines related to 11 subjects covering philosophy, literature, pedagogy, history, law, economics, management theory, mathematics, engineering, agriculture and so on. If that wasn’t enough, SHNU also offers 154 Master's degree programs, 42 doctoral degree programs and 7 post-doctoral research centers.  International students and domestic students can apply; international students study and live on Xuhui Campus.

Large research university with campuses in Minhang and Putuo, East China Normal University has over 22 schools, colleges, and institutes. ECNU offers doctoral programs in 30 of its first-level disciplines and masters programs in 37 first-level disciplines. The school offers 25 postdoctoral mobile research stations and 83 bachelors degree programs. There’s also a language school, offering a standard Chinese program and an intensive Chinese Program. The business Chinese program is limited only to applicants holding an HSK 5 certification.

Xuhui-based higher education institution founded in 2006. The Sino-British College, USST (SBC) is an international university college established as a joint venture by the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) and nine partner universities of the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK) (Bradford; Huddersfield; Leeds; Leeds Beckett; Liverpool John Moores; Manchester Met; Salford; Sheffield; Sheffield Hallam). The college is open to domestic and international students. A range of programs are offered, including “pathways” that include some time at both SBC and a UK campus. Academic foci include engineering, business management and events management.

University teaching Chinese as a foreign language since the 1990s. They offer degree courses for students, and there are also full- and part-time courses for non-students. These courses focus on either business or comprehensive Chinese; the latter is a little cheaper per semester, and the former requires at least HSK4. There are also taught undergraduate and postgraduate programs in English, French, Chinese and medicine, with links to other global universities.

University with its own Chinese language programs through the International Cultural Exchange School (ICES). It offers single semester and full-year programs for students of foreign nationalities. During July and August, they offer short-term summer studies and a Professional Chinese Business Immersion Program (PCI) for students who want an internship. There are also long-term programs about Chinese society and the Chinese economy, both in Mandarin, which you’ll need to have passed HSK Level 5 for. The program is divided into three different levels: fundamental, intermediate, and advanced.

University with a campus near Zhongshan Park, specializing in legal education. They also offer programs in business management, literature, science, and others.

Higher education institution with a campus in Pudong, specializing in TCM. Founded in 1956, Shanghai University of TCM (originally named Shanghai TCM College) was one of the first four TCM higher education institutes since the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. Courses focus on developing understanding of modern science and traditional Chinese culture. The University currently has 8 affiliated hospitals. As well as undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, the school also offers short courses in acupuncture, and Chinese. There’s also an annual summer school.

Science-oriented university with a campus in Hongkou. Originally established by the German government with the German Medical School, Tongji University has since developed engineering, architecture, and business programs. Tongji attaches importance to internationalization and has cooperated with Germany, France, the UK, the USA, Japan, Canada, Italy, Spain and Finland in fields of education, technology and economics. A number of international joint programs have been established between the university and its counterparts in other countries. Examples include the Sino-German College for Graduate Study and Sino-German College of Applied Sciences, which are sponsored by the Chinese and German governments; the Sino-Italian Campus, which is sponsored by the Chinese and Italian governments; the Sino-French Institute of Engineering and Management, which is run in cooperation with Paris Tech in France; Tongji-UNEP Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development, linked with the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme); and the Tongji-Australian Institute of Technology.

Collaborative research centre located on Fudan University’s Handan Lu campus. Established in 1995, the Nordic centre is a collaboration between FDU and a number of Nordic institutions, including the universities of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen. The center provides facilities and courses for visiting scholars, summer courses, conferences and other cultural activities.

University offering degree programs as well as other long- and short-term options. The long-term, full-time options normally run for 17 weeks, beginning in March or September, covering either general, intensive or business Chinese. Short-term options are summer programs, weekend classes in business Chinese, and group programs on request. Some programs require prior knowledge of Chinese; for the short-term intermediate business program, for example, the university require students to have undergone at least one year of Chinese study. Extra-curricular and cultural activities are also organized for students.

Higher education stalwart under the administration of the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the People's Republic of China and co-constructed by MOE and Shanghai Municipal Government. During its 120 years of operation, Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) has become a comprehensive, research-oriented, and internationalized university. SJTU currently offers 67 undergraduate programs covering 9 major disciplines: economics, law, literature, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, management and arts. Along with Fudan, SJTU is frequently rated as one of the top universities in Shanghai.