About the School

In the first half of 2025, China's Ministry of Education launched the pilot development of National Bases for Cultivating Outstanding Talent in the Social Sciences to prepare interdisciplinary and internationally oriented talent with a commitment to China, a global outlook, strategic thinking and practical capability. SoIF is the Ministry's only project in the social sciences designated at the 'National School' level—with only six universities nationwide selected at this level—and is among the first National Bases established under the initiative.

SoIF operates as a fully established School and is built on substantive collaboration. It integrates SWUFE's disciplinary strengths with the practical resources of financial institutions and international exchange networks, connecting graduate education, research and professional practice. Its development mandate is included in the comprehensive reform pilot tasks under the Three-Year Action Plan for Building China into a Leading Country in Education and in the 15th Five-Year Plan for Education.

Building on SWUFE's established strengths in finance, the School focuses on international finance, cross-border capital flows, the internationalisation of financial institutions and risk governance under financial opening, linking teaching with frontier research and real-world industry settings.

The School's mission is to advance graduate education and knowledge production in support of China's financial development and participation in global governance. Its programmes are grounded in China's economic and financial realities and equip students to understand international markets, rules and institutions, use data and technology, and exercise sound professional judgement across cultures.

The School connects education, problem-oriented research, professional practice and international exchange at the frontier of international finance.

The curriculum progresses from substantive questions through analytical methods, interdisciplinary discussion and institutional practice, with resulting insights informing further research. This structure develops analytical discipline, applied capability and the capacity to communicate across institutional and cultural settings.

SoIF's institutional model combines academic leadership, coordinated resources and professional execution. It mobilises expertise from universities, financial institutions and international organisations to support graduate education, research and institutional collaboration.

Partnerships are structured around shared inputs and defined outputs, enabling faculty expertise, curricula, research and practice-based projects to reinforce one another.