Career opportunities for Leicester’s China partnership graduates reach new highs, latest data shows
Dalian University of Technology 2024 graduates.
Graduates of the University of Leicester’s partnership with Dalian University of Technology in China are finding career success across the world, as the latest data shows a yearly rise in those in employment or continuing education following their studies.
In a reflection of the remarkable success of the programme, 100% of the latest cohort of students to graduate are all engaged in a form of employment or further study as of 1 July 2024. It follows consistently high rates of graduates in employment or further study every year since the establishment of the Institute, growing every single year.
The Dalian Leicester International Institute (DLI) was established in 2017 to teach joint undergraduate degree programmes in China with the Dalian University of Technology (DUT). The DLI, based at DUT’s Panjin campus, currently offers three undergraduate degree programmes in the subject areas of applied chemistry, mathematics and mechanical engineering.
Students are recruited from China but also have the opportunity to complete part of their studies at Leicester. They are taught by experts from both the University of Leicester and Dalian University of Technology, and are awarded degrees from both institutions when they graduate.
The latest data on destinations of DLI graduates shows that their academic quality and employability is highly valued. 47 graduates have secured positions with well-known employers, such as Shanghai Huawei Technologies Co., LTD, and PetroChina Company Limited. A further 241 have gone on to further study at respected institutions across the world, including Peking University and Tsinghua University in China, Oxford University and Imperial College London in the UK, Columbia University in America, Ecole Polytechnique in France, and Osaka University in Japan.
Professor Jingzhe Pan, Dean of Dalian Leicester Institute (DLI) at University of Leicester, said: “It is so pleasing to see that the joint education programmes change lives, and that our graduates are all over the world, making positive impacts on society and having great careers for themselves. I thank our students for rewarding us with such remarkable results, and also the incredible work by all the staff from both universities.””
Professor Sarah Davies, Head of the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester, said: “Having met our Dalian Leicester Institute students when I visited the Panjin Campus in November 2023 and during Winter School here in Leicester, it is no surprise that our graduates are so successful. These successful outcomes reflect the excellent education and support they receive through the educational collaboration between the two institutions. I am delighted that they have all found their future path and wish them every success in life. I look forward to greeting those DLI Graduates who have been awarded PhD places here at Leicester.”
The news follows a tour of China by a delegation from the University of Leicester in April to inspire future student enrolment. It also marked the launch of two new Alumni Chapters located in China and Dalian, facilitated by the University’s Alumni Engagement Team. Following enthusiastic conversations with the Presidents of these Chapters and various staff members across the University, the new Chapters will not only connect alumni in these areas but also support international recruitment.
Dr Wei Cui, who is the first Chapter President of the China Chapter, made an official announcement of the Chapter’s establishment with Tracy Li from the Future Students Office to agent partners in Shanghai.
Tracy said: “We have re-engaged with our Chinese alumni community through the Vice-Chancellor’s Beijing Reception last November. Since then, our Chinese alumni have been very active in promoting our University to the wider community. Many of them support our China team to meet and greet offer holders and share their Leicester stories. At this event, one of our Chinese alumni couples even brought their two-year-old daughter to celebrate the launch of the China Chapter!”