The move highlights booming people-to-people exchange between the Asean and China, and shows their flourishing relations have developed beyond just commercial ties.

In China, Thailand is the largest source of Asean students. More than 23,000 Thai students went to study in China in 2016.

Sitting close to Shanghai and in the heart of Yangtze River Delta region, China’s major economic hub, Duke Kunshan University is ideal and a unique option for those who wish to pursue world-class education while having chance to live and study in China.

Students from Asia and the rest of the world are “especially welcomed”, said Denis Simon, executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan University, which is “committed to bringing together a diverse cohort of high-quality students from across the world”.

“We are building a truly global university in China, which makes us unique in the Chinese context,” Simon said, noting Thailand, as well as Japan, Korea and Singapore, have been influencing the region for years.

“Each country across Asia – and the world – has their own unique learning culture. The multiple perspectives students from across Asia will bring to Duke Kunshan will contribute greatly to ensuring we create a rich and dynamic learning environment.”

As a product of the collaboration between Duke University, an institution consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the United States, and Wuhan University in China, Duke Kunshan will begin to offer a wide range of undergraduate majors starting in August 2018.

Located in Kunshan in the eastern part of China’s Jiangsu Province, Duke Kunshan is seeking to recruit at least 50 overseas students as part of its initial class of 225 cohorts. The university previously only has offered postgraduate courses and a non-degree undergraduate program called the Global Learning Semester.

Russell Davis, Director of Global Student Recruitment at Duke Kunshan, said the university provides students with a unique opportunity to live and study in China and the US while pursuing a high-caliber education culminating in a degree from both Duke University and Duke Kunshan University.

“Students will study in a truly global environment. The undergraduate academic program spans two continents – in Kunshan, at a state-of-the-art campus; and a two-semester experience at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina,” he said. At Duke Kunshan, non-Chinese students also will be required to take Mandarin courses to help them deepen their knowledge of Chinese culture and society.

Over the summer, the university’s recruitment team traveled across Asia visiting high schools to introduce Duke Kunshan and specific details about the undergraduate program. This fall, they will have another extensive recruitment trip to cities all over Asia to conduct information sessions and further introduce the program to prospective applicants and parents.

Davis said there has been exponential growth in the number of international schools across Southeast, South and East Asia in recent years, many of which are utilizing various international curriculum that provide an excellent academic background for attending Duke Kunshan.

Education is a key area in China-ASEAN cooperation. Now over 190,000 Chinese and ASEAN students are studying in each other’s universities. More than 80,000 ASEAN students have studied in China as of the end of 2016.

Nearly 60% of all 442,773 foreign students currently in China come from Asia, according China’s Ministry of Education.

Jiangsu, home province of the Duke Kunshan, is the third largest destination for foreign students, behind Beijing and Shanghai only.

In China, there are 10 joint-venture universities between Chinese and overseas institutions. Duke University is the only one among the top 10 universities in the US that has established a joint-venture university in China. Duke’s venture into China is a key part of its overall globalization strategy.

When graduating from Duke Kunshan, students will receive a Duke degree and join Duke’s global network of 170,000 alumni; they also will receive from Duke Kunshan University, a bachelor’s degree which is approved by China’s Ministry of Education.

The four-year bachelor’s degree program is based on an innovative, interdisciplinary highly integrated liberal arts and sciences curriculum that allows students an opportunity to explore a variety of subjects and build a broad base of knowledge before selecting a major towards the end of their second year.

“They will learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be applied in any career path, either today or tomorrow. Our graduates will design, create and shape the jobs of tomorrow–jobs that likely don’t exist yet. And, equally important, they will learn to work across borders and cultures with people from different backgrounds and disciplines,” said Simon, the executive vice chancellor.

“Overall, they will become more sensitive, understanding and empathetic–critical attributes that are key to a fulfilled life professionally and personally.”

Davis said that Duke Kunshan also would increase steadily the class size over the following years. At full capacity, Duke Kunshan will have 2,000 undergraduate students with a mix of 60% from the Chinese mainland and 40% from other international destinations.

By the time Duke Kunshan’s inaugural class of students declare their majors in 2020, the university will have about 20 majors from which to choose. Students will be well prepared to apply for graduate study or secure jobs in China or abroad.

The first batch of majors that has been approved by the Ministry of Education include applied mathematics and computational sciences with a focus in math, and material science with a focus in physics. These majors were designed to equip students for either further study or immediate employment in settings where they will be expected to draw on knowledge from multiple fields in order to succeed.

Additional majors to be introduced over the next two years, include humanities majors that integrate history, philosophy, literature, and the arts, as well as social science majors integrating economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. Duke Kunshan also will offer a strong number of programs in science and mathematics.

“The world continues to change quite rapidly and new technologies are being introduced at an accelerated pace,” said Simon. “Successful graduates will need to have a highly agile mindset so they can respond quickly to the new demands of the workforce in the coming years.

Prospective students may apply to Duke Kunshan through the Common Application system.

All applicants will be automatically considered for available scholarships, up to and including full scholarships, Davis said.

“Duke Kunshan is deeply committed to attracting and enrolling a highly talented, diverse international student body. As such, scholarships, both merit and need-based, are available to support these goals,” he added.