Top Universities in Xi'an for International Students
September 11, 2026 · CSCA Gateway Team
Xi'an has one of the strongest campus ecosystems in Western China, led by Xi'an Jiaotong University (a C9 member), alongside several other 985/211 campuses each with their own strong specialization.
1. Xi'an Jiaotong University (西安交通大学)
A C9 League member — we covered it in full in our Campus Deep-Dive: Xi'an Jiaotong University article, check there for its ranking profile and flagship programs.
2. Northwestern Polytechnical University (西北工业大学)
A Project 985 member, one of China’s "Big Three" defense-industry universities (alongside Beihang and HIT), very strong in aerospace, aviation, and marine/naval engineering — its Aerospace Engineering discipline ranks #2 in the world. Offers 13 English-taught bachelor’s and 77 English-taught postgraduate programs for international students.
3. Xidian University (西安电子科技大学)
Nicknamed China’s "radar and electronics" school, strong in electronics, telecommunications, and information engineering — ranked #2 in the world for Telecommunications. A Project 211 member with around 31,000 total students and an established international scholarship program.
4. Chang'an University (长安大学)
China's top specialist in highway/transportation engineering, home to the country's only dedicated high-speed vehicle testing facility. Not a 985 member, but has a strong international track record for a non-985 school — 1,600+ international students from ~100 countries, admitting international students since 1956.
5. Shaanxi Normal University (陕西师范大学)
A leading teacher-training university, strong in humanities and Chinese-as-a-foreign-language programs — a common landing spot for Indonesian students on a language-prep or humanities track. A Project 211 member.
How This Relates to CSCA
Northwestern Polytechnical and Xidian weigh CSCA Mathematics and Physics scores strictly for their engineering/electronics majors. Chang'an University places more weight on Mathematics and Physics for civil/transportation engineering majors, while Shaanxi Normal University places more weight on CSCA Chinese language scores.