About University

Soochow Univeristy was founded in China by the Methodists in 1900 in a merger of three already existing institutions : the Po-hsi Academy, the Kung-hsiang Academy, and the Chung-hsi Academy in Shanghai. The University was first located in the city of Soochow, Jiangsu Province; thus the English name is Soochow University. The Law School was established in Shanghai in 1915. When the Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, the Law School remained in Shanghai while the College of Arts and Sciences moved several times and finally settled in Canton. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the University moved back to Soochow.
The University ceased operations in 1949 when the Chinese Communists overran Mainland China.

In 1951, the Soochow Alumni Association in Taiwan started the process of reactivating the University by establishing the Soochow Preparatory School in Downtown Taipei. Three years later, with the approval of the Ministry of Education, it became Soochow College of Law and included five departments: law, economics, accounting, political science, and foreign languages. The Chinese Department was added in 1961, the year the University moved to the Waishuangshi campus in suburban Taipei. New campus buildings and new departments and graduate schools were later added to make the school a full university again. The evening school as well as the Extension School were also established.

In 1971, the downtown campus building was completed, thus splitting the University into two campuses. Soochow University is now a full-fledged university with five schools and 22 departments. There are now 14 graduate programs and four Ph.D. programs. The enrollment is about 13,000. The Schools of Arts, Science, and Foreign Languages are in scenic Waishuangshi near the National Palace Museum and the Schools of Law and Business as well as the Extension School are on the downtown campus in the Chung Cheng District, the political and commercial center of Taipei, where professionals in business and law are easily accessible.Soochow University may be small, yet as a full-fledged university, it is distinguished in content and quality.

The University aims to strengthen the nation by producing dedicated professionals. Soochow has almost 60,000 alumni, who have received considerable recognition for their substantial contributions to the overall development of Taiwan. With the support of our alumni and the Board of Trustees and the help of our staff and faculty, successive chairpersons and presidents have made Soochow the best private university in Taipei.

In the years to come, in order to meet challenges, the University will continue its efforts to enhance its academic quality by expanding its campus, improving its facilities, and enriching its research environment. It will provide students with the education needed to equip them with necessary skills to serve their country.