Nanfang College, Guangzhou (formerly known as Sun Yat-sen University Nanfang College) is a comprehensive, application-oriented university established in 2006 with the approval of the Ministry of Education. It has also been approved as a Guangdong Province Doctoral Workstation, a supporting unit for National Social Science Fund projects and National Natural Science Fund projects—in short, a pilot institution for comprehensive reform of the higher education system in Guangdong Province. Notably, it is  one of the first pilot universities in Guangdong Province for the transformation of general undergraduate colleges.

The college offers 45 undergraduate programs across 11 faculties, creating a well-structured and complementary disciplinary system focused on management, literature, and engineering, while also promoting the coordinated development of economics, medicine, and arts. In 2021, the college was among the first batch of private colleges in Guangdong Province authorized to grant master’s degrees, and in 2022, it was approved to  cultivate full-time professional master’s degree students in partnership with Guangzhou University.

The college places a high emphasis on faculty development, continuously strengthening talent recruitment and cultivation through three plans: global recruitment Plan  for PhDs, industry talent introduction Plan, and the Young and Middle-aged Backbone Teacher Excellence Plan. This has resulted in a diverse and highly qualified faculty team, primarily composed of full-time young and middle-aged teachers.

Innovative Education，Cultivating Excellence

The college has implemented a three-dimensional talent cultivation plan integrating “disciplinary knowledge transmission, core-values inheritance, and ability and quality development,” producing a large number of outstanding graduates. Nearly 90% of its graduates choose to serve in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with an overall employer satisfaction rate of 98%. More and more graduates are pursuing further studies at renowned domestic and international universities, such as Sun Yat-sen University, Nanjing University, University of Edinburgh, University of Sydney, and University of Hong Kong.

After nearly 20 years of development, the college boasts a campus of over 1,000 acres, a student population of over 20,000, with comprehensive disciplines, distinguished faculty, and a thriving talent cultivation environment. From 2022 to 2024, the college ranked second nationwide and first in Guangdong Province among its counterparts by the iResearch Alumni Association of China.

Mission: To build a distinctive first-class applied-oriented institute dedicated to cultivating progressive talents with critical thinking, communication skills, innovation, and practical abilities.

Strategic Positioning: Primarily focusing on undergraduate education with coordinated development of graduate education.

Educational Characteristics: Fostering integrity, global vision, a student-centered approach, and a teaching-focused orientation.