Shenzhen University (SZU) has been enrolling international students since 1987. So far, the university has cultivated nearly 20,000 international students from more than 100 countries. In 2019, SZU successfully passed the Quality Certification for Studying in China. In 2022, SZU officially became a host institution for the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) of the Ministry of Education. In 2025, SZU has 1288 international students in total, of which about 72% are degree students, and more than 25% of the degree students are PhD students. More than 100 majors in over 20 colleges of SZU are open to enrolling international students, forming a complete education system, focusing on degree programs and supplemented by language programs.

College of International Exchange (CIE) is the centralized management department, as well as the teaching unit for international students at SZU. It is responsible for the enrollment, Chinese language teaching, and study life of international students. CIE actively promoted the establishment of the Shenzhen University Tokyo College, and assisted SZU in building the Confucius Institute with Prince Sultan University in Saudi Arabia. Based in the Greater Bay Area and facing the world, CIE has embraced the concept of multicultural education, and built on the advantageous disciplines of the university. CIE attaches great importance to the education, management and service of international students, and organizes various extracurricular activities every year. The brand activities such as “International Cultural Festival of Shenzhen University” and “Cultural Ambassador on Campus” are very popular among international students. Besides, CIE also focuses on the cultivation of innovative and entrepreneurial talents, actively expands internship and employment channels for international students, and takes advantage of Shenzhen’s “dual zone” feature to provide talent support for the internationalization of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.