The Xi'an Petroleum Institute, formerly the Xi'an Petroleum School, was renamed in May 2003, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, the Xi'an Shiyou University. The Xi'an Petroleum School was founded in 1951, and then in 1958, with the approval of the State Council, the Xi'an Petroleum Institute was established. In 2000, the Xi'an Petroleum Institute was no longer affiliated with the China National Petroleum & Gas Corporation (CNPC), and it was to be run as a regular university by the central and local governments in joint efforts but chiefly administered by the Shaanxi Provincial Government. Over the past fifty-two years, since its foundation, the university has developed into a teaching and research oriented university, forming an engineering-centered multi-disciplinary university incorporating science, economics, management, liberal arts, law and education.

Xi'an Shiyou University consists of eleven colleges and six departments: the school of Petroleum Engineering, the school of Mechanical Engineering, the school of Electronic Engineering, the school of Economic Management, the school of Humanities, the school of Science, the school of Computer Science, the school of Advanced Vocational & Technical Education, the school of Continuing Education, the school of Engineering & Business, the school of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, the Department of Resources Engineering, the Department of Material Science and Engineering, the Department of Foreign Languages, the Department of Music, the Department of Physical Education, and the Department of Postgraduates. The university enrolls students from twenty-nine provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. Currently the enrollment is approximately 15,000 students.

A complete disciplinary system of distinct character with prominent advantages has been formed by the university. In 2003 the University became a union postgraduates cultivating institute authorized by the Ministry of Education. At present, there are seven disciplinary categories, offering 43 programs for undergraduates and 22 programs for master's degree candidates and 3 engineering postgraduate fields. The university has seven key disciplines and five key laboratories at the provincial or ministerial level.
The staff is highly qualified with 761 teachers, including 125 professors, 334 associate professors and other teachers with equivalent professional titles. Among the teachers, more than sixty percent hold a doctor's degree or a master's degree. The university engages famous scholars as Concurrent Post Professors, namely, academician Zhang Guowei from the China Academy of Science, academician Li Helin from the China Academy of Engineering, and the famous writer Chen Zhongshi who is the vice chairman of China Writers Association. Besides, twelve renowned scholars and experts from abroad take the posts of Honorary Professors and Visiting Professors.

The university possesses great strength in research. During the “Ninth Five-year Plan” and “Tenth Five-year Plan”, the university has undertaken 9 projects of the State “863” Program, 10 projects of the State Nature and Science Fund, and 8 projects of the National Key Technologies R&D Program, and participated in 1 project of the State “973” Program. Its annual average research outlay stands in the first class among universities in Shaanxi Province, ranking among the “S & T Top Ten” in Xi'an. The university presses ahead the educational cooperation integrating teaching, research and production, by forming a mutual benefit cooperation style between the University, enterprises and research institutes with a character of “achieving mutual benefits and co-prosperity by complementing one another with respect to their unique advantages and sharing resources”. It has established a number of bases on a certain scale combining teaching, research and production, and was rewarded as “Advanced Group in the Project of the United Development in Teaching, Research and Producing in Shaanxi Province”.
The high-qualified graduates of Xi'an Shiyou University are greatly welcomed by the employers. For years, the employment rate of the graduates has maintained over 96 percent. The university has been honoured as “Advanced Group of Graduates Employment” successively by the Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Province and China National Petroleum & Gas Corporation.

The University adheres to an open policy in active international academic exchange and cooperation. It has established academic links with sixteen universities and institutes abroad, namely, State Academy of Oil & Gas, Russia, University of Wyoming, USA, Heriot-watt University, U.K., and so on. Up to now, 578 experts, professors or scholars from America, U.K., Russia and some other countries had given lectures or made cooperation research in the university. Since 2001, the “Sino- American 1-2-1 Joint Degree Program” has been contracted successively between the university and four American universities to cultivate undergraduates and postgraduates jointly.

Office of International Exchanges Xi'an Shiyou University
Office of International Exchanges is the functional department charging foreign affairs in Xi'an Shiyou University.It has an executive office-Foreign Affairs Office. Its main duty is on developing international academic exchanges and scientific cooperation; inviting, employing and managing foreign experts and teachers, and providing services for them; foreign students recruitment and management; administration and service for visiting abroad affairs.

Office of International Exchanges Director：Wang Zhangcai
Vice director: Guo Xiaopeng, Tan Jianqin
Foreign Affairs Office Section chief: Dong Hao
Enquiries: Han Haiyan, Yan Tingxing
Telephone: 86-29-88382271
Facsimile: 86-29-88382271, 86-29-88234429
Email:waiban@xsyu.edu.cn