Xinjiang Agricultural University(XJAU) was established in 1952, originally under the name “Bayi Agricultural College”, renamed as Xinjiang Agricultural University in 1995. It is an institution taking agricultural sciences as its strength and feature, located in Urumqi,China. Currently XJAU is jointly supported by the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China for its development. The university has 4 campuses including Laomancheng, Yaxin, Lu’gang and Tianger. During the past 72 years since its establishment, starting as an agricultural college, XJAU has developed into a multidisciplinary university with a complete talent training system for undergraduate, master and doctoral degree programs. Among over 220,000 graduates of the university, many are extraordinary talents in all walks of life.
XJAU is currently consisteds of 24 colleges and 1 teaching section (P.E). It has 7 postdoctoral research stations, 8 first-level doctoral programs in the areas of Hydraulic Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Crop Science, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry Science, Veterinary Medicine, Grassland Science, and Agricultural & Forestry Economic Management, 19 first-level academic master degree programs, 14 professional master degree programs, and 69 undergraduate programs, which cover 7 academic disciplines of agriculture, science, engineering, economics, management, literature and law.
In the field of modern agriculture and animal husbandry, and characteristic forestry and fruit industries, the following disciplines have been established: 1 National Key Discipline (Grassland Science), 1 National Key (Cultivation) Discipline (Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering), 3 Key Disciplines of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (Forest Cultivation, Forestry, Agricultural Resources and Environment), 2 Key Cultivation Disciplines of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (Ecology, Pomology), 1 Discipline Supported under the 14th Five-Year Plan Higher Education Institution Academician Support Program of Xinjiang (Water Conservancy Engineering), 1 Advantageous Discipline under the 14th Five-Year Plan of Xinjiang (Animal Husbandry), and 5 Characteristic Disciplines under the 14th Five-Year Plan of the Xinjiang (Grassland Science, Veterinary Medicine, Crop Science, Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Resources and Environment). The disciplines of Plant and Animal Science, and Agricultural Science have both entered the top 1% of global rankings in ESI. There are 39 provincial and ministerial-level research centers and key laboratories, such as the Cotton Engineering Research Center supported by the Ministry of Education, the Smart Agriculture Engineering Research Center, the Xinjiang Modern Dairy Engineering Technology Research Center, the Xinjiang Grassland Resources and Ecology Laboratory, and the Xinjiang Fruit Processing and Preservation Engineering Technology Research Center.
The university currently has 1666 faculty and staff members, with approximately 35,000 full-time students, including 5,000 doctoral and master's students, and 27,800 undergraduate students.
Focusing on serving the major needs of economic and social development in Xinjiang and relying on the university’s strength in agricultural teaching and research, XJAU has quickened the commercialization of its scientific and research findings, and released the innovation-driven efficiency. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the university had undertaken 2686 longitudinal scientific research projects, 15 national major and key science and technology projects，such as the integration and demonstration of quality and efficiency improvement technologies in Xinjiang's advantageous and characteristic industries, with research funds reaching 1.14 billiion yuan. In the past five years, the university's annual research funds have exceeded 100 million yuan, with over 300 million yuan in 2023.The scientific research funding has exceeded 100 million yuan RMB for the last five consecutive years, and in 2023 it exceeded 300 million yuan RMB.
XJAU has always adhered to the strategy of opening up actively expanding international cooperation and exchanges in science, technology and education. It has established cooperative relations with more than 70 universities and research institutes in more than 20 countries and regions. It has also promoted its cooperation in education with higher education institutions in the neighbouring countries. It has cooperated with 2 Russian universities on Sino-Foreign Cooperative Undergraduate Education Programs, jointly established the Education and Scientific Research Centers with higher education institutions in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and a Confucius Institute at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in Pakistan. The university has continued to expand the enrollment of international students in agricultural disciplines, promote the communication between Chinese and international students and improve its educational capabilities. XJAU will continue to opening up and focus its efforts on the goal of building a first-class agricultural university.
(Data update time: March 2024)