Reinforcing its “Global Network University” title, NYU has confirmed that its network third portal will be in Shanghai, China’s largest city. NYU Shanghai will be a degree-granting comprehensive research university with a liberal arts and sciences college – and it is the first American university with independent legal status (which grants NYU the discretion to determine all academic matter such as curriculum development, faculty staffing, student selection). Shanghai is home to NYU’s second international campus; the first being in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Construction for the Shanghai campus began last Monday in Lujiazu Financial and Trade zone, as soon as the agreements were signed.
“As we did in Abu Dhabi, here in Shanghai we have found visionary partners, and our joint effort to create NYU Shanghai emerges out of a common belief in the indispensible value of higher education and in the special opportunities that can be created when the world’s greatest cities join forces,” said NYU President John Sexton. “We will be providing the same education here as in New York and Abu Dhabi.”
With the help of NYU’s Chinese partners – the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (which is responsible for all education initiatives within the city), East China Normal University (which currently houses NYU’s study abroad program) and Pudong New Area (the district that will be home to NYU Shanghai) – NYU Shanghai will offer programs such as economics, social sciences, mathematics, biological sciences, philosophy, art history, cinematic, performing arts, and professional studies including business and law to Chinese and international students. 40-50 percent of enrolled students will come from China, and those students will pay less than NYU’s standard tuition fees and have scholarship opportunities from the university – created to support underprivileged students.
The university expects about 3,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, but its first class will be roughly 150 students in September 2013. The curriculum has yet to be developed, and the faculty members have yet to be chosen. Admissions will be highly selective – it will be the first university in China to consider a broader set of admissions criteria than the GaoKao national higher education entrance exam – as the liberal arts curriculum will identically mirror the ones in Abu Dhabi and New York City.
NYU isn’t the only university looking to expand its global campus outreach; Yale is looking to Singapore, while Cornell and Columbia are looking to Shanghai as well.