Sino-American university welcomes first class of undergraduates

NANJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Duke Kunshan University (DKU), a Sino-American joint venture university in east China's Jiangsu Province, held its first undergraduate assembly Tuesday.

DKU is located in the city of Kunshan and was jointly established by U.S.-based Duke University, Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province, and the Kunshan government.

The Ministry of Education formally approved its establishment in 2013. The university began enrolling students in 2014.

The first 266 undergraduate students come from 27 countries and regions, including the United States, Britain, France, and Pakistan.

"This convocation marks an important moment for Duke and Duke Kunshan: the realization of our goal of building a world-class university in China," Vincent Price, president of Duke University, said in a welcome video.

The university offers 15 bachelor's degree programs, including applied mathematics, cultures and movements, data science, environmental science, global China studies, media and arts, political economy and U.S. studies, which will all be taught in English.

"In the next four years, [the inaugural class of undergraduate students] will learn a new language, experience different cultures, ...... while becoming part of the passionate and highly connected Duke alumni network," said Liu Jingnan, Duke Kunshan's chancellor.

DKU plans to double the scale of undergraduate students to 500 in 2021.