University of Science and Technology of China - History

History

USTC was founded in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in September 1958, the Director of CAS, Mr. Guo Moruo was appointed the first president of USTC. The founding of the University is aimed at fostering high-level personnel of science and technology absolutely necessary for the development of the national economy, national defense construction, and education in science and technology. The establishment was hailed as "A Major Event in the History of Chinese Education and Science". CAS has supported USTC by combining most of its institutes with the departments of the university. USTC is listed in the top 16 national key universities, becoming the youngest national key university.

In the beginning of 1969, USTC was moved to Hefei, the capital of Anhui province. Since 1978, USTC has initiated and implemented a series of open and reform measures with a forward-looking sense and innovative spirit. It recovered from the Cultural Revolution and achieved rapid development thereafter.

USTC set up the first graduate school in China in 1978 to effectively cultivate its postgraduate students. However, the main campus for graduate study in Beijing, where it was the first formal campus of USTC, was renamed Graduate School of the CAS later.

Since the 1990s, USTC has taken the initiative of adapting to the necessity and challenge of the development of science and technology, education, and social economy. In 1995, USTC was approved by the central government as one of the first batch of universities obtaining the support of construction in the National 9th Five-Year Plan and the "Project 211". In 1999, USTC was singled out as one of the 9 universities enjoying priority support from the nation's "Plan of Vitalizing Education Action Geared to the 21st Century". Since September 2002, USTC has been implementing its "Project 211" construction during the 10th National Development Plan.

The USTCers have mandated the use of USTC in English or Keda rather than the full name University of Science and Technology of China due to honored tradition and the desire to avoid confusion with many similarly named institutions.