Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the nature of XJTU-POLIMI Joint School?

A: XJTU-POLIMI Joint School is an official constituent school of Xi’an Jiaotong University, with the same institutional status as other on-campus schools such as the School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation, students will obtain graduation certificates and bachelor’s degree certificates issued by Xi’an Jiaotong University, as well as degree certificates issued by Politecnico di Milano. Students enjoy equal university resources and the same postgraduate recommendation quota as students from other schools, and are subject to the unified management of Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Q2. What are the schooling duration and tuition fees? Are scholarships available?

A: All majors adopt a four-year undergraduate system. The annual tuition fee is RMB 105,000 for Industrial Design and Architecture, RMB 150,000 for Electrical Engineering and Automation, and RMB 120,000 for Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Students are eligible for all university-level scholarships open to regular undergraduates. In addition, the school has independently established school-level scholarship programs.

Q3. Will applicants be transferred to other majors of XJTU if they fail to be admitted to XJTU-POLIMI Joint School?

A: The Joint School adopts independent enrollment codes with a no application, no admission policy. For provinces adopting the "institution-major" application mode: Electrical Engineering and Automation is grouped independently; Industrial Design and Architecture form one group; Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering form another group (internal transfer within the same group is permissible). For provinces adopting the "major-institution" application mode, no transfer will be arranged for non-applicants. Detailed enrollment policies and provincial major-specific quotas will be released simultaneously with the official university enrollment plan. Please refer to the official website of XJTU Admissions Office for timely updates.

Q4. Can students adapt to the bilingual or full-English teaching mode?

A: All admitted students have solid English proficiency, enabling them to gradually adapt to the full-English teaching environment. The school has designed a progressive English improvement program, employing professional language teachers to provide systematic training in English listening, speaking, reading and writing. The immersive English learning environment effectively enhances students’ language competence to meet the requirements of bilingual and full-English courses.

Q5. What are the differences between majors in XJTU-POLIMI Joint School and the same majors in other XJTU schools?

A: As Sino-foreign cooperative programs, the majors fully integrate advanced educational concepts from Politecnico di Milano and distinctive schooling characteristics of Xi’an Jiaotong University, forming an innovative international talent cultivation model. The cooperative majors are aligned with international teaching standards, committed to cultivating interdisciplinary and innovative professional talents.

Q6. Do students of the Joint School enjoy the same postgraduate recommendation policies as other XJTU students?

A: Students of the Joint School enjoy equal opportunities with regular XJTU students in academic studies, postgraduate recommendation, postgraduate entrance examinations, overseas study and employment. Benefiting from the dual educational advantages of XJTU and POLIMI, our students have broader further development prospects and greater competitiveness in applying for overseas master’s and doctoral programs.

Q7. Are students allowed to transfer to other majors?

A: Inter-school major transfer is prohibited. Intra-school major transfer is permitted only when vacant enrollment quotas are available within the Joint School.

Q8. Are there overseas exchange opportunities for students?

A: The school adopts a 4+0 training model, where students complete all undergraduate studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University. The school actively encourages students to participate in overseas exchange programs and provides a maximum funding subsidy of RMB 100,000 per student. Students can independently apply for various university-level and school-level overseas exchange programs. Xi’an Jiaotong University has established cooperative relations with more than 300 universities worl

dwide, including Politecnico di Milano.

Q9. What are the career planning and employment directions for each major?

A:

Industrial Design: Approximately 33% of graduates pursue further studies at domestic universities and 50.8% at overseas universities, with a total further study rate of 83.8%. Target institutions include Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Science and Technology of China, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Imperial College London, Stanford University, National University of Singapore and Cornell University. Graduates can engage in product R&D, interface design, interactive experience design and service planning, with wide employment coverage in the Internet industry (Huawei, ZTE) and manufacturing industry (Haier, Midea). As an interdisciplinary major, Industrial Design is in high demand for AI and Internet product development and design positions.

Architecture: Graduates can work in architectural design institutes, design firms, urban and rural planning institutes, urban construction management departments and real estate development enterprises. In the past three years, nearly 51% of undergraduate graduates have obtained postgraduate recommendation or been admitted to domestic postgraduate programs, and about 21% pursue overseas studies at top institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Cornell University, University of California, Los Angeles and University College London.

Electrical Engineering and Automation: The further study rate of undergraduates reaches 88%. Domestic admission institutions are mainly Xi’an Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Peking University. Graduates are primarily employed in power equipment manufacturing, power system operation, information industry, national defense industry, scientific research institutes and government agencies.

Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering: Graduates are mainly employed in high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, automobile industry, aerospace, information industry, scientific research institutes and government agencies.

Materials Science and Engineering: Graduates are mainly engaged in new material R&D, high-end manufacturing, new energy, aerospace, electronic information, national defense industry, and work in scientific research institutes and government agencies.

Q10. Is painting foundation required for applying for Industrial Design and Architecture majors?

A: No painting foundation is required or assessed during admission. Specialized training courses will be offered after enrollment.

Q11. Is overseas study at POLIMI mandatory for graduation?

A: No mandatory overseas study is required. Adopting the 4+0 training model, students can obtain dual degrees by completing all academic programs at Xi’an Jiaotong University. Students may voluntarily choose to participate in exchange programs at Politecnico di Milano or other cooperative universities according to personal needs.

Q12. Are there English proficiency requirements? Is Italian required?

A: Professional courses are delivered in full-English or bilingual mode. Italian learning is not required, and there is no rigid threshold for English test scores.

Q13. What admission rankings are expected for Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering?

A: 2026 marks the first enrollment year for the two new majors. Applicants may refer to the historical admission score range of Electrical Engineering and Industrial Design in respective provinces for reference.

Q14. What are the differences between XJTU-POLIMI Joint School and XJTLU?

A: XJTU-POLIMI Joint School is an on-campus secondary school of Xi’an Jiaotong University without independent legal personality. Faculty members come from XJTU and POLIMI, and graduates obtain degree and graduation certificates issued by Xi’an Jiaotong University. By contrast, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an independent legal university with independent campus and teaching systems, and its graduates obtain certificates issued by XJTLU.

Q15. What is the duration and cost of postgraduate programs at POLIMI?

A: The master’s programs in Industrial Design, Architecture, Electrical Engineering, Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at POLIMI generally last for 2 years. The annual total cost (tuition + living expenses) is approximately RMB 180,000 (for reference only; subject to actual standards).

Q16. What certificates will students obtain upon graduation?

A:

Chinese Side: All majors are awarded a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

Italian Side:

1. Electrical Engineering and Automation: Ingegneria Elettrica (Electrical Engineering)

2. Materials Science and Engineering:Ingegneria dei Materiali e delle Nanotecnologie (Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology)

3. Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering: Ingegneria Meccanica (Mechanical Engineering)

4. Industrial Design: Ingegneria della Produzione Industriale (Industrial Production Engineering)

5. Architecture (4-year): Progettazione dell'Architettura (Architectural Design)

Q17. Do students have advantages in applying for POLIMI postgraduate programs?

A: Yes, students have significant advantages. Students hold student status of Politecnico di Milano, and POLIMI professors deliver on-campus courses and have in-depth understanding of students’ academic performance, creating inherent advantages for postgraduate applications to POLIMI. Meanwhile, equipped with excellent English proficiency cultivated by bilingual teaching and international cooperative education experience, students also have strong competitiveness in applying for postgraduate programs at other overseas universities.

Q18. Are graduation certificates the same as those of regular XJTU students? Will the certificates be marked with "Sino-foreign cooperative education"?

A: The certificates are completely identical to those of regular XJTU students, with no marks of "Sino-foreign cooperative education" or school-specific labels.

Education Achievements

Student Honors & Awards: Students have won 31 international awards, 127 national awards and 223 provincial and ministerial awards. Representative honors include 4 iF Design Awards, 3 Red Dot Design Awards, 2 Dyson Design Awards, 2 MUSE Design Awards, 13 Gold Awards in the international track of China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, and the title of Top Ten Outstanding Undergraduate Students of XJTU, among others.