Nankai University

Nankai University was founded in Tianjin in 1919 by the educators Yan Xiu and Zhang Boling, under a philosophy of saving the country through education. It is a Project 985 institution and the alma mater of Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People's Republic. Its strengths are economics, history, chemistry and mathematics, an unusual combination that spans the humanities and the sciences rather than concentrating on engineering as many Chinese universities of its rank do. Tianjin is the practical argument. The city sits roughly half an hour from Beijing by high-speed rail at materially lower living costs. For a student who wants access to the capital's employment market without paying Beijing rents, that combination is worth weighing carefully. Nankai was among the first Chinese universities to admit American students in the 1980s and has a long history of international engagement.