Xi'an International University (abbreviation: XAIU ; Chinese: 西安外事学院; lit. 'Xi'an International College') is a private college in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.

Founded in 1992, XAIU sits on 1.26 square kilometers of land. The university has about 20,000 students and 1,700 faculty and staff. XAIU includes 8 colleges offering 67 major fields of study, which cover Management, Economics, Humanities, Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, and Arts.^[1]

Founded in 1992, Xi'an International University was originally a service training college (original name: 西安外事服务培训学院). In 1996, with the approval of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education, the college became one of the first private academic institutions in Shaanxi province to award diplomas through examination.^[2]

In May 2000, with the approval of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, XAIU became a vocational college.^[2]

In March 2005, with the approval of China's Ministry of Education, XAIU became an undergraduate college and was officially renamed Xi'an International University (Chinese: 西安外事学院). Successfully adapting to its new role, in June 2009 (4 years after the first students enrolled in the first undergraduate programs), Xi'an International University was granted the right to award bachelor's degrees.^[3]

In May 2009, XAIU also established the College of Entrepreneurship (Chinese: 创业学院), the first entrepreneurship college established by a private university in China.

In 2010, the university established a training platform for students to obtain a 'Master's degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship'.

In 2014, XAIU established the 'Qi Fang Academy of Classical Learning'. The academy teaches a combination of theory and practice with Chinese characteristics (‘College + Academy’-system). It offers moral education, postgraduate education, and liberal arts education. Qi Fang Academy collaborates with various party groups, associations, campus culture, career planning, etc. to further promote student self-management.^[4][5]

In 2017, Xi'an International University opened a new sports center, covering an area of more than 50,000 square meters, making it one of the largest multipurpose sports venues in Northwestern China.^[6]

On January 6, 2020, XAIU established Laozi Academy to provide traditional Chinese culture. Laozi Academy is the first traditional cultural education academy in a second-level college named after Laozi. The academy has seven departments: the Department of Chinese Studies, the Department of Chinese Painting, the Department of Chinese Music, the Department of Calligraphy, the Department of Wushu (Kungfu), the Department of Tea Art, and the Department of Chess Art.^[7]

XAIU was among the first private universities to deliver international cooperation education and foreign student education in Shaanxi Province. It is cooperating with more than 100 universities around the world and has joint educational programs with the US, Canada, UK, France, Korea, Japan, etc. and has educated over 2,000 international students (mainly for Chinese language learning). ^[11]

XAIU is also one of the initiators of the Association for Global Advancement of Universities and Colleges (AGAUC). ^[12]

Some of Xi'an International University's foremost achievements are:

• In 2009, XAIU was selected as a teaching case representative of China's higher education development model by Harvard Business School^[20]
• In 2013, XAIU was awarded the "China Creativity Management Thought"-award by Xinhua News Agency^[21]
• In 2015, XAIU was ranked first in the "2015 Chinese Private University Rankings" by Chinese Universities Alumni Association^[22]
• In 2016, XAIU became one of the "Top 50 National Universities and Colleges of Outstanding Experiences in Creativity and Entrepreneurship Education", awarded by China's Ministry of Education^[23][24]
• In 2018, XAIU was announced as one of the 3 recipients to receive a "First-Class College" Construction Unit from the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Education ^[25]
• In 2019, XAIU's guqin heritage preservation program was inducted into the "List of Excellent Chinese Traditional Heritage Preservation Programs of National Universities".^[26]