The Bund sightseeing, CityWalk, Chinese Lacquer Fans Making, Chinese Tea Culture, Traditional Poetry Chorus — Nearly 160 new international students from 36 countries covering 5 continents, embarked on their academic journey at Tongji campus amidst a variety of wonderful welcome activities.

To help them better adapt to campus life, staff from SEM’s International Cooperation and Accreditation Office prepared a series of special “welcome gifts”. At Shanghai’s landmark – the Bund, students experience the cityscape with their steps, explore Shanghai’s culture, and feel the endless charm of this vibrant “Magic City.”

Students also participated in well-planned cultural activities such as “Chinese Lacquer Fans Making” – China’s intangible cultural heritage, “Chinese Tea Culture” and “Traditional Poetry Chorus”. Through these activities, they have felt the beauty of Chinese lacquer fans as well as the elegance of tea culture. And the ancient Chinese poetry culture also fascinates those young faces deeply.

At the orientation ceremony, student representatives from different countries eagerly introduced their own traditional festivals, music, sports, and literary arts, showing unique cultural charm. For a moment, the atmosphere was quite warm with much laughter.

On behalf of the School, Prof. WANG Hongwei, Deputy Dean of Tongji SEM, extended a warm welcome to the international students and congratulated them to join this big family in his welcome speech. He emphasized that, as one of the top business school in Asia, SEM has always been committing to promoting the internationalization of business education, focusing on global cultural exchange, providing excellent learning environment and rich cultural experience for international students. He hoped that they would keep their thirst for knowledge and vision for the future, and feel the ancient charm of Shanghai by themselves through Tongji campus which is full of innovative spirit and academic atmosphere. He also expected that they could recognize the innovative advantages of China’s modernization, and create their wonderful life in promoting global cross-cultural exchanges.

As the top tier in the field of economics and management in China, Tongji SEM has attracted much attention for its academic strength. In the discipline evaluation led by China’s Ministry of Education, the Management Science and Engineering was rated A+, highlighting SEM’s academic excellence and teaching quality. Meanwhile, Business Administration also ranked among the top, demonstrating its profound foundation and innovative capabilities in Business Management. In addition, Tongji SEM also ranked among the world’s top in various international rankings. In the latest Financial Times (FT), the School has been in the top 10 business schools in the Asia-Pacific region for several consecutive years. The Master of Global Management (MGM) program of Tongji SEM was ranked 22nd globally in 2023, and has been ranked among the top 50 globally for eight consecutive years. Moreover, the Master of Real Estate and Master of Supply Chain and Logistics programs respectively ranked 2nd and 9th globally in the Eduniversal rankings, both taking the lead in Asia. High-quality internationalization has always been the feature and strength of Tongji SEM. Currently, SEM has carried out cooperation and exchanges with over 100 word-renowned institutions covering more than 30 countries and regions, with over 30 double-degree exchange programs and 70 non-degree exchange programs. In 2024, SEM welcomed more than 200 international students to Tongji, with the number keeping at the forefront within the university. SEM focuses on interdisciplinary integration and actively builds interdisciplinary research platforms to promote the collaborative development of economics, management, engineering, and other disciplines. By continuously introducing outstanding talents and deepening educational reforms, SEM has successfully developed a high-level teaching and research team, providing students with excellent learning environment and opportunities.