China Agricultural University started to recruit international students from the 1954 and up till now, it has accepted more than 3,000 international students from more than 90 countries. In 2012, CAU enrolled 381 international students from 72 countries. Within those, 53% of them were undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students and 47% of them were student visitors who study professional courses, who do research collaboration or Chinese language and culture study. The top ten numbers of Students are from the USA, South Africa, Pakistan, Mongolia, Thailand, the Republic of Guinea, Bangladesh, Vietnam, South Korea, and Kenya.

In the 1950’s and 1960’s, CAU has recruited 145 Vietnamese students. They were chosen from leaders of Vietnamese government and outstanding students from Vietnamese schools. After they come back Vietnam, most of them have become key people in politic, academic and commercial areas. Two of them have become the deputy director of Vietnam government and eight of them have become presidents and vice presidents in school, leaders in government, professors, researchers, factory managers, senior engineers and senior agronomists etc. At present, an increasing number of international students went back after their studies in CAU and they have made huge contributions to the collaboration and communication in agricultural area between two China and Vietnam.

Under the collaboration of Chinese and South African agricultural department, in February of 2011, CAU has signed an agreement of ‘collaboration postgraduates training programme in agricultural area’ with South Africa’s Forestry and Fisheries Ministry. At present, CAU has recruited 21 South African students (4 PhD students, 16 postgraduate students and 2 language students). They study in the college of Agronomy and Biotechnology, college of Humanities and Development and Chinese language teaching programme (library undertakes) respectively. In June of 2013, the first generation students (9 postgraduates) of this programme graduated as scheduled. After two-year’s operation, management of this programme has moved into the right path. This programme has opened a new model of collaboration between CAU and foreign government and it provided experience for collaborations between CAU and other foreign organisations.

At present, CAU has 52 undergraduate majors, 89 postgraduate majors and 68 PhD majors opening to international students, meanwhile, CAU set up full-English postgraduate teaching programmes which covers 12 majors in four colleges: college of Agronomy and Biotechnology, college of Humanities and Development, college of engineering and college of Economics and Management. In addition, there are more than 100 English teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses opening to international students.

Nowadays, an increasing number of international students choose to come to study at CAU and more and more international students have finished their studies successfully and then made contribution to their own countries. We strongly believe that: CAU carries hope for you and you harvest knowledge at CAU.