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Shandong University (Chinese: 山东大学, abbreviated as Shanda, Chinese: 山大; pinyin: Shāndà, English abbreviation SDU) is a public research university in Jinan, Shandong with one campus in Weihai, Shandong and one campus in Qingdao, Shandong and is supported directly by the national ministry of education. It is one of the largest universities in China by student population (67,000, including 41,879 undergraduates, 24,319 postgraduates, and 1,612 international students as of 2021).
Present-day Shandong University is the result of multiple mergers as well as splits and restructurings that have involved more than a dozen academic institutions over time. The oldest of Shandong University's precursor institutions, Cheeloo University, was founded by American and English mission agencies in the late 19th century (as Tengchow College of Liberal Arts in Penglai). Tengchow College was the first modern institution of higher learning in China. Shandong University derives its official founding date from the Imperial Shandong University (Chinese: 山东大学堂; pinyin: Shāndōng Dàxué Táng) established in Jinan in November 1901 as the second modern national university in the country.
Shandong University has eight campuses, all but two of which are located in the provincial capital city of Jinan. The newest of these campuses is located to the northeast of the port city of Qingdao. The university has been classified as a National Key University by the Chinese Ministry of Education since 1960. It has been included in major national initiatives seeking to enhance the international competitiveness of the top-tier universities in China such as Double First Class University Plan, Project 985 and Project 211. It is a Chinese state Class A Double First Class University identified by the Ministry of Education of China.
Shandong University offers master and doctoral degree programs in all major academic disciplines covering the humanities, science and engineering, as well as medicine.