The School of the Gifted Young (SGY, known in Mandarin as the “Shào Nián Bān”) of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) is an institute specially designed for the most talented young students. Based on the suggestion of Professor Tsung-Dao Lee, a Nobel Prize laureate in physics, SGY was initiated in March of 1978. Since its establishment, SGY has continued to grow in both size and recognition as the premiere honors program in Chinese academia.

The School of the Gifted Youth is a unified program encompassing three kinds of students. The first two kinds are both students who enter college at a young age, generally skipping their Junior and Senior years of high school. The first of these two classes is called the “Special Class for the Gifted Young,” made up of students who are 15 years old or younger, while the second is called the “Pilot Innovation Class,” made up of students who are 16 years old or younger. Both classes are selected by having students take the college entrance examination in their freshman or sophomore instead of senior year of high school, followed by additional testing and interviews conducted by the SGY. Finally, we also host the “Experimental Class for the Sciences,” or, informally, the “00 Class,” which is composed of students who took their college entrance examination at the usual time, but who scored extremely highly. In this respect it’s quite similar to honors programs in foreign universities. Because SGY provides one of the best educational environments in China, admissions are extremely competitive. 

Our program is unique in China for offering unprecedented freedom for students to grow and explore their self-directed interests. Many educational reforms currently being introduced into the Chinese university system were pioneered in our school. During the first two years, students follow a standardized curriculum emphasizing a solid foundation in mathematics, physics, foreign languages, computer science and information science. In the following two years, a student can choose any major within USTC, including double-majors. Most Chinese dormitories are structured by major and class year. Meanwhile, our SGY students live together. Due to their varying ages at enrollment, and their free choice of major, students with different ages and interests share the same dorm, and study and live together. This fosters a unique interdisciplinary environment that is unique in China’s current educational system. After more than 30 years’ continuous innovation and practice, SGY has developed her unique educational system.

The majority of our graduates (>80% historically) go on to post-graduate study. They have gone on to take senior leadership positions in academia, industry, and government. They are fellows of the APS, AAAS, IEEE, and other learned societies. They are recipients of HHMI awards, McArthur Grants, PECASE and other academic honors. They are leaders and founders of global companies such as Microsoft, Baidu, Cambricon, and others. More examples can be found on our “Alumni” page.

Due to SGY’s success in training young scientists, they are in much demand as graduate students in universities worldwide, and our program has been strongly nurtured and supported by China’s governmental, academic, and scientific leadership.  We invite you to peruse this site to learn more about SGY’s history and mission.