Founded through earlier language teaching teams dating back to 1941 and taking its current name in 1994, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) has grown into a comprehensive, internationally oriented institution focused on global languages, global culture and global governance. 

Academically, BFSU teaches 101 foreign languages and offers 122 undergraduate programs, 46 of which are exclusive to the university. It has six first-level disciplines authorized to offer doctoral degrees and multiple master’s and professional degree programs across areas such as foreign languages and literature, management science and engineering, country and area studies, Chinese language and literature, education, translation studies, international business and law. In the MOE’s discipline evaluations, its first-level discipline in foreign languages and literature received an A+ rating, ranking first nationwide. According to subject rankings, BFSU’s linguistics and language programs place it among the top institutions domestically and competitively internationally.

BFSU supports research and teaching with 54 national, provincial and ministerial research bases, including national research centers for foreign language education and state language capacity, and a national key research base for textbook development. The university runs the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP), the largest publishing house in China for foreign language books, audio-visual products and digital resources, and publishes multiple CSSCI, ESCI and Scopus-indexed journals. Its “BFSU Model for Cultivating Multilingual Global Competence” won first prize in the National Teaching Achievement Award (2022).

The university’s faculty and student body reflect its global mission: more than 1,200 full-time Chinese faculty and staff and nearly 200 foreign teachers from 57 countries; over 5,700 undergraduates, 4,300 graduate students and 1,200 international students. Over 90 percent of faculty have overseas study experience. BFSU alumni include more than 500 ambassadors and over 3,000 counsellors, earning it the reputation of “a cradle of diplomats.” In 2024 BFSU received an A grade in the reaccreditation for the quality of higher education for international students in China.

BFSU actively expands international cooperation, holding exchange agreements with over 300 universities and academic institutions in more than 80 countries and running 23 Confucius Institutes in 18 countries—the highest number among Chinese universities. It hosts a multilingual global resource center and the BFSU Library, which holds approximately 1.6 million volumes in 107 languages plus extensive e-resources and databases. The university has also invested in AI-assisted faculty development initiatives and smart teaching platforms, including the BFSU•AI lab and other interdisciplinary innovation platforms.

Guided by its motto “Learn with an open mind; Serve a great cause,” BFSU continues strengthening talent training, promoting academic excellence and building global presence. With strategic priorities in global languages, culture and governance, the university aims to be an international, distinctive and high-level world-class foreign language university that bridges China and the world through languages.