Top Universities in Chengdu for International Students

September 17, 2026 · CSCA Gateway Team

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is led by two 985 campuses — Sichuan University and UESTC — alongside China’s oldest railway engineering specialist school.

1. Sichuan University (四川大学)

Founded in 1896, a Project 985 and 211 member. QS 2026: #324 globally; ARWU: #87 globally; EduRank 2026: #345 globally, #19 in China. Strong in Medicine (West China Hospital, one of China’s top medical centers) and Law. One of China’s largest universities with 70,000+ students. Admits 3,000+ international students.

2. University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (电子科技大学, UESTC)

Founded in 1956 under Premier Zhou Enlai’s direction, formed by merging the electrical/radio engineering departments of three top Chinese engineering universities. A Project 985 and 211 member. QS 2026: #519 globally; ARWU: #151-200 band; EduRank 2026: #557 globally, #33 in China. One of China’s top 2-3 schools for electronics/telecommunications. Admits around 2,500 international students.

3. Southwest Jiaotong University (西南交通大学)

Founded in 1896, known as "the cradle of China’s railway engineers" — one of China’s oldest engineering universities. A Project 211 member (not 985). Strong in Transportation/Railway Engineering (ranked #13 in the world in this field) and Civil Engineering.

How This Relates to CSCA

Sichuan University and UESTC both weigh CSCA Mathematics and Physics scores strictly, with UESTC placing extra weight on Physics for its electronics majors. Southwest Jiaotong is especially relevant for applicants with a specific interest in transportation/railway engineering.