The Ministry of Education of China has officially approved the establishment of the Palmerston North Institute of Xi’an University, a non-independent legal entity jointly established by Xi’an University and the Universal College of Learning (UCOL), a business division of Te Pūkenga – New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology. This marks the first Sino-foreign cooperative education institution approved for Xi’an University and is among the first such institutions jointly established by an undergraduate university in Shaanxi Province with a New Zealand partner. Building on over a decade of international education experience, the university has achieved a strategic leap from joint training programs to co-building overseas educational resources and offering dual-degree collaborative education.

The Palmerston North Institute will initially offer two undergraduate programs: Data Science and Big Data Technology, and Software Engineering. Enrollment will begin in 2026 with an annual intake of 200 students. The institute adopts a “4+0” dual-degree model, which allows students to complete all their studies on campus in China. Upon meeting the graduation and degree requirements of both institutions, students will receive a bachelor’s degree certificate and graduation diploma from Xi’an University, as well as a bachelor’s degree from UCOL. This model truly realizes the goal of cultivating high-quality, internationally certified applied talents through domestic study.