Overview
This program is on hold for outbound participation beginning September 2023 and until further notice. Applications will be closed for 2024-2025 programs and beyond.
Xiamen University was founded in 1921 and has a student enrollment of over 38,000 full time students on its 3 campuses. The university is located in the town of Xiamen on the coast of south eastern China in Fujian province. Because of it's excellent port and location at the mouth of the Nine Dragons River Xiamen was designated as one of China's Special Economic Zones. The city has a population of 2.5 million people and is situated on both mainland China and on a number of islands. Find further information about Xiamen University.
Minimum GPA required by host program: Based on WU approval.
(this program is offered for spring or academic year only)
Academics
Willamette students will be located at the Xiang'an campus studying at the Overseas Education College. Xiang'an campus is located in Xiang'an district, the northeastern part of Xiamen city and also the geographical center of the Minnan area. The Xiang'an campus provides complete facilities like apartments, library, swimming pool, sports fields, cafeteria, banks, stores, etc. Learn more about Xiang'an campus online.
The program is offered for spring or academic year only. The semester in Xiamen consists of mandarin language and Chinese cultural course work. View more course information. Students at all language levels should take a Chinese course the semester prior to studying abroad. (If this is not possible due to academic reasons contact an OIE advisor to discuss the situation).
View more details about student activities and other campus life details.
Housing
Students live in campus housing with other international students on the Xiang'an campus. The cost of housing depends upon the accommodations that are chosen. Descriptions of the accommodations and price information can be found here. For further information please contact the Office of International Education.
Dates
The Xiamen program is available for spring semester or as a full year option. The fall semester is not available at Xiamen because final exams end in mid-January, making it difficult to return to Willamette for the start of spring semester. Early final exams for fall semester are not possible.
Cost
Please see the Willamette Sponsored Programs Cost Matrix for detailed explanation of the cost of each program. View the estimated cost information for living costs at Xiamen University.
Scholarships
Freeman-ASIA award: Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provides scholarships for U.S. undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study abroad in East or Southeast Asia. Semester awards are up to $5,000 and academic year awards are up to $7,000.
Boren (NSEP) Scholarship: The Boren awards provide funding to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing international and language study in world regions critical to U.S. interests, such as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Scholarships for undergraduate students provide up to $20,000 for study abroad, while the Boren Fellowship for graduate students can provide up to $30,000 for language study and international research. In return for funding, recipients commit to working for the federal government for at least one year after the completion of their education.
See the OIE scholarship page for other grants and scholarships available for study abroad.
Pre-departure Resources
- Application Information for Exchange Students (do not start the application until instructed by the OIE)
- Overseas Education College
- Xiamen University (in Chinese)
- News
- CIA Factbook
- Weather
- Lonely Planet Guide