Anhui University of Applied Technology is a full-time public undergraduate-level vocational institution directly under the Anhui Provincial Department of Education. The university traces its origins back to the “Anhui Textile Technical Training Class” established in 1954. In 1958, building upon this foundation, the “Anhui Provincial Textile Industry School” and “Anhui Provincial Light Industry School” were established as “a single entity operating under two names”. In 1960, it was upgraded to “Anhui Textile Engineering College”, commencing undergraduate education. In 1999, it began offering higher vocational education, becoming one of Anhui Province’s first higher vocational colleges approved by the Ministry of Education. In 2003, it was renamed Anhui Vocational and Technical College with provincial government approval. In 2014, it collaborated with Hefei University to launch “four-year integrated” application-oriented undergraduate education program; in 2021, it partnered with Anhui Jianzhu University to offer undergraduate education for associate degree holders. In 2022, it was included in Anhui Province’s “14th Five-Year Plan” for establishing vocational undergraduate institutions. On August 12, 2024, the People’s Government of Anhui Province officially approved the merger of Hefei Railway Engineering School and Anhui Energy Technology School into Anhui Vocational and Technical College. In June 2025, the Ministry of Education approved the establishment of Anhui University of Applied Technology based on Anhui Vocational and Technical College, marking the start of a new journey as an undergraduate-level institution. The university is a National Model Higher Vocational College, a National High-Quality Specialist Higher Vocational College, one of Anhui’s first Local High-Level Skilled Universities, a High-Level School Construction Unit under Anhui’s “Double High Plan”, a “Double Characteristics” School Construction Unit in Anhui Province, and one of Anhui’s first undergraduate-level vocational colleges.
Upholding the school motto spirit of “Unity, Endeavor, Rigour, and Practicality," the university adheres to its developmental positioning of being “local, skilled, specialized, and high-level”. Closely aligned with industry needs for new quality productive forces, it serves advanced manufacturing and modern services through 16 secondary colleges, dynamically adjusting its program structure across 52 majors. Through collaborative mechanisms — joint program development, co-designed talent training plans, integrated “dual-qualified” faculty teams, shared training bases, co-developed curricula, joint research platforms, quality evaluation partnerships, and employment promotion initiatives — the university has established modern industrial colleges with leading enterprises like BYD.
The university occupies a planned area of 2115 mu (approx. 141 hectares) with over 19,000 students. Its total building area spans 706,500 m², supported by teaching and research equipment valued at 400 million RMB. Financial investment over the past five years reached 1.847 billion RMB. Among its 1,267 faculty and staff are 1 national-level teaching team, 2 national teaching masters, 15 provincial-level teaching teams, and 19 provincial teaching masters. Strategically advancing internationalization, the university pioneered Anhui’s first vocational education overseas branch (Xingzhi College-Thailand), first export of professional standards (Sino-Thai “210 Project” for modern vocational education), and first international student enrollment (Cambodian students in Electrical Automation Technology).
In recent years, the university has thoroughly implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, the 2nd and 3rd plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee and fully implemented the reform objectives of achieving “six new enhancements” and “being pioneers in six aspects” proposed by the provincial government. Under the guidance of provincial education authorities, it advances Huang Yanpei’s vocational education philosophy through the principles of “majors linked to industries, courses aligned with occupations, faculty balancing teaching and technical expertise, and holistic talent development”. Its industry-education integration model, which pursues “specialization, precision, uniqueness, and innovation in majors” and “diligence, simplicity, courage, and perseverance in student quality”, has forged a distinctive path aligned with national strategies and socioeconomic development.
1. Comprehensive Strengthening of Party Leadership and Ideological Foundation: Comprehensive Party leadership is reinforced through the “Pilot” Program for grassroots Party building initiative, featuring “Brand Party General Branches” and a “Scholarly Party Building” brand that drives high-quality development of the college’s undertaking.
2. Comprehensive Implementation of Virture-based Education and Fruitful Talent Cultivation: The educational philosophy “Classrooms as Mini-Enterprises (Theory-Practice Integration); Enterprises as Macro-Classrooms (Virtue-Skill Cultivation)” underpins the innovative educational model of “One Goal, Two Integrations, Three Entities, Four Focuses”. A “Six Vertical-Six Horizontal” framework and “Ten Comprehensive Education Projects” have produced industry-renowned graduates, such as Wang Yuanhan, the “Yangtze Delta Great Artisan”, Liu Chong and Li Yunlong, the “Self-Improvement Stars of Chinese College Students”, and Wang Qian, the “Anhui Good Person”. In the past three years, the employment rate of graduates has exceeded 97%, and the retention rate in Anhui has exceeded 80%, ranking among the top in the province.
3. Continuous Deepening of Industry-Education Integration, Precise Service for Industrial Development: The college has established and improved a dynamic professional adjustment mechanism, with the matching degree between professional settings and regional key industries exceeding 93%. It serves emerging industries by focusing on building five high-level professional groups such as intelligent manufacturing and strives to create a new energy vehicle professional cluster focusing on the province’s leading industry. Partnerships with 15 local governments and 13 industrial colleges (e.g., BYD) anchor its role in 14 national industry-academia consortia, including leadership of the National Intelligent Environmental Testing Consortium, serving 600+ enterprises. Three Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards were secured in recent five years.
4. Continuous Enhancement of Team Building, Remarkable Achievements in Talent Recruitment and Cultivation: Adhering to the principle that excellent teachers precede excellent education, the college always prioritizes the construction of teacher ethics and style, making comprehensive efforts in introducing high-level talents, building part-time and full-time teacher teams, and teacher development support. It has initially established a high-level “dual-qualified” faculty team with noble ethics, sufficient quantity, reasonable structure, part-time and full-time combination, superb skills, and international vision. In the past three years, it has recruited 247 talents, including 60 PhDs.
5. Continuous Cultural Advancement and Campus Upgrade: Since the “14th Five-Year Plan”, the college has focused on the positioning of vocational education types and the needs of modern university governance. Cultural initiatives like the Party Building Reading Club, Huizhou Culture Education Base, and “National Craftsmen on Campus” events shape a “Six-in-One” cultural education model. This transformation from “campus culture” to “cultural campus” earned the 2024 Provincial Teaching Achievement Special Prize.
To implement national strategies and serve regional industries, the university’s three-phase development plan aims to:
By 2029: Pass undergraduate teaching evaluation, secure bachelor’s degree conferral rights, and establish itself as an applied technology university leading vocational education reform, supporting emerging industries, and excelling in global engagement.
By 2035: Become a regionally leading, nationally influential high-level applied technology university and a model for integrating education, technology, and talent development.
By 2050: Achieve domestic preeminence and global influence as a top-tier applied technology university.
Accolades include 662 vocational skills awards (9 provincial team championships and 2 silver medalists for 14 consecutive sessions), over 80 honors (e.g., National Model Higher Vocational College, National High-Quality Specialized Higher Vocational College, National Advanced Unit in Vocational Education, Anhui Provincial Local Skill-Based High-Level University Construction Institution, Provincial Civilized Unit, and Provincial Civilized Campus), and rankings: Top 50 in Teaching Resources and Service Contribution (2018), 3 Provincial Benchmarks for High-vacational Development, Skills Competition, and Physical and Art Educational Reform (2019), and 2022 recognitions — China’s Top 50 Higher Vocational Colleges (#26), Top 20 Influential (#18), and Top 20 Industry-Academia Collaboration (#14).
Having trained 200,000+ skilled professionals, the university advances with the ethos “Contributing to an Education-Powered Nation”. Through high-level talent cultivation, impactful research, quality services, cultural stewardship, and global cooperation, it strives to become a nationally leading, internationally renowned applied technology university — delivering tangible outcomes for regional industry and socioeconomic progress.
