Jilin University (JLU) is a public university in the city of

Changchun Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin, Jilin Province, China, on the Songliao Plain. Changchun is administered as a , comprising seven districts, one county and three county-level cities. At the 2020 census of China, Changchun ha ...

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

, China. It is affiliated with the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. The university is part of

Project 211 Project 211 ( zh, c=, links=no, s=211工程) was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the government of China for "preparing approximately 100 universities for the 21st century", initiated in November 1995. There were 115 ...

Project 985 Project 985 () was a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government for creating world-class higher education institutions, initiated in May 1998. There were 39 universities selected to be part of this ...

, and the

Double First-Class Construction The World First-Class Universities and First-Class Academic Disciplines Construction (), together known as Double First-Class Construction (), is a higher education development and sponsorship scheme of the Chinese central government, initiated ...

History

Founded in 1946 as the Northeast College of Administration in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

, Jilin University merged with many universities and colleges and changed its name many times. In May 1948, the Northeast Administration College merged with the Harbin University and was renamed Northeast Academy of Science. In November 1948, the Northeast Academy of Science moved to

Shenyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu language, Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the list of capitals in China#Province capitals, provincial capital of Liaonin ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

and restored the name of Northeast Administration College. In 1950, it was renamed as Northeast People's University. During the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

it was relocated to

. In 1958, it was renamed Jilin University. In 2000, Jilin University, Jilin University of Technology, Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun University of Science and Technology (established 1951), and Changchun Institute of Posts and Telecommunications combined to form the current Jilin University. On August 29, 2004, University of Military Logistics also merged into Jilin University. In April 2006, an institute dedicated to projects of military interest was created within Jilin University.

Academics

It is a comprehensive and national key university. There are 6,657 faculty members in total, among which there are 2,110 professors and 1,618 doctoral advisors. There are 43 members of

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences a ...

(including 33 adjunct members).

Rankings and reputation

As of 2024, the CWTS Leiden Ranking table 2024 ranked Jilin University at 19th in the world based on their publications for the time period 2019–2022. In 2024, it ranked 55th among the universities around the world by ''

SCImago Institutions Rankings The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) since 2009 has published its international ranking of worldwide research institutions, the SIR World Report. The SIR World Report is the work of the SCImago Research Group,Nature Research Nature Portfolio (formerly known as Nature Publishing Group and Nature Research) is a division of the international scientific publishing company Springer Nature that publishes academic journals, magazines, online databases, and services in scien ...

, that measure the high-quality research published in 82 high-quality science journals. The

University Ranking By Academic Performance The University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) is a university ranking developed by the Informatics Institute of Middle East Technical University. Since 2010, it has been publishing annual national and global college and university ranking ...

2024/25 ranked Jilin University at 74th globally. Jilin University ranked 194th worldwide and 42nd in Asia the Center for World University Ranking (CWUR) 2025.

People

Notable alumni

* Du Qinglin - politician, vice chairman of

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

, Head of the

United Front Work Department The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with " united front work". It gathers intelligence on, manages relations with, and attempts to gain influence over ...

of the Central Committee. * Hu Huaibang - chairman of China Development Bank. * Li Congjun -former president of China's

Xinhua News Agency Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: ),J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. It is a ...

. * Liu Qibao - head of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee. *

Liu Xiaobo Liu Xiaobo (; 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017) was a Chinese literary criticism, literary critic, human rights activist, philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who called for political reforms and was involved in campaigns to end Ch ...

- 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner * Liu Yandong -

Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China The vice premiers of the State Council of the People's Republic of China serves as a deputy leader within the State Council. In terms of administrative hierarchy, the Vice Premier holds a position superior to that of ministers, commission dir ...

* Lü Fuyuan - first minister of the

Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) is an executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China responsible for formulating policies on foreign trade, export and import regulations, foreign direct investments, consumer pro ...

. * Wang Gang (politician) -Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party * Wang Gongquan - liberal activist, main leader and financial backer of the New Citizens' Movement * Wang Yongqing - Secretary-General of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission * Wang Jiarui - Vice Chairman of the

, director of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party from 2003 to 2015. * Xu Shaoshi - former chairman of the

National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is the third-ranked executive department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, which functions as a macroeconomic management agency. Established as the State Planning C ...

of the People's Republic of China, party chief of Minister of Land and Resources * Xu Xianming - China's leading authority on human rights law * Yin Weimin - Minister of Human Resources and Social Security and a deputy head of the

Organization Department of the Chinese Communist Party The Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party is the human resource management department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that c ...

. *

Zhang Jun (politician) Zhang Jun (; born October 1956) is a Chinese lawyer and politician, who is currently the president of the Supreme People's Court. Between 2018 and 2023, he served as the procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Ministe ...

- Chinese politician and former judge, serving currently as the

Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection The Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection () is the deputy to the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also tra ...

the country's top anti-corruption body, and the Minister of Justice. He formerly served as Vice Minister of the

Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China The Ministry of Justice of the People's Republic of China is a government ministry under the State Council of China which is responsible for legal affairs. The range of responsibilities include judicial process, drafting legislation, deve ...

and Vice President of the

Supreme People's Court The Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China (SPC) is the highest court of the People's Republic of China. It hears appeals of cases from the high people's courts and is the trial court for cases about matters of national ...

Notable faculty

* Andrey Baykov - Russian international relations scholar, Vice-Rector of Moscow State University of International Relations. * Barry Buzan - Emeritus Professor at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, fellow of the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

* Yury Gogotsi - leading Ukrainian scientist in the field of material chemistry, professor at

Drexel University Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

, founder and director of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute * Chen Jia'er - nuclear physicist, an accelerator physicist and an academician of the

. * Han Dayuan - President of the Chinese Constitutional Law Society in

Renmin University of China The Renmin University of China (RUC) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. The university is affiliated with the Ministry of Education, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the Beijing Municipal People's Government. The ...

Huai Jinpeng Huai Jinpeng (; born December 1962) is a Chinese computer scientist and politician. He is the current Minister of Education, party secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and an academician of the Chinese Academy of ...

- computer scientist, party secretary of the China Association for Science and Technology * Loide Kasingo - member of the South West Africa People's Organization and

National Assembly of Namibia The National Assembly is the lower chamber of Namibia's bicameral Parliament. Its laws must be approved by the National Council, the upper house. Since 2014, it has a total of 104 members. 96 members are directly elected through a system of cl ...

, Deputy Speaker of Parliament. * Kai Li - professor at the department of Computer Science in

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

* Li Siguang - founder of China's geomechanics, first present of former Changchun Institute of Geology (now as College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University). * Lawrence Lau - Hong Kong economist and the former vice-chancellor of the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public university, public research university in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1963 as a federation of three university college, collegesChung Chi College, New Asia Coll ...

. * Long Yifei - Associate dean of

Renmin University of China Law School Renmin University of China Law School (), formerly Renmin University of China Department of Law (), is the school of law under Renmin University of China. It was founded as the Department of Law in 1950 and renamed to Law School in 1988. Acco ...

* Alan MacDiarmid - winner of

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

. * Wilma Olson - professor at the BioMaPS institute for Quantitative Biology at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

, visiting professor at the Polymer Chemistry Department of Jilin University. * Helmut Ringsdorf - polymer Chemist, known for being the first to propose covalently bonding drugs to water-soluble polymers. * Steve Smith (academic) - international relations theorist, Vice Chancellor of the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

and Professor of International Studies. * Song Yuquan, materials scientist, academician of the

. * Sun Weiguo - president of Xihua University * Tang Aoqing or Au-Chin Tang, theoretical chemist, President of Jilin University, member of the

* Wang Xianghao - mathematician who introduced the Grunwald–Wang theorem, correcting an error in Wilhelm Grunwald's original statement and proof of this. * Yevgeny Yasin - prominent Russian economist, academic supervisor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. * Ying Xu - computational biologist and bioinformatician, chair professor in the Institute of Bioinformatics at the University of Georgia * You Xiaozeng -Chinese inorganic chemist, educator and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. * Zhou Ji (Tsinghua University) - "Changjiang Scholar" distinguished Professor, at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, of

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

* Zhou Qifeng - Chinese chemist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

. * Zhu Wenxiong - Chinese linguist. * Zhu Guangya - renowned Chinese nuclear physicist, head and first director of Jilin University Department of Physics