New | Top 5 most secretive and mysterious research universities in China

If you are a student of science or engineering looking for a “thrilling” exchange programme in China, this may be the right place for you. The universities on the list below enjoy high reputations in China and they all accept overseas students, but they rarely publish papers in international journals due to the sensitivity of their research, so you may not easily find their names on most world university rankings. If you visit them, don’t be misled by the peaceful and friendly atmosphere on campus. The old professor riding a dusty bike with fatherly smile and silvery hair along your way to class could be chairing the development of China’s most deadly space weapons.

SCMP staff reporters examined universities across China to formulate the below list based on the amount of work published in international journals, based on data from Nature Publishing Index China, Chinese Ministry of Education rankings for top universities involved in military research, and the overall rank of the university according to the Chinese University Alumni Association.

Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU)

Located in Xian, Shaanxi province, NPU is engaged in research on aeronautics, astronautics and marine technology. With a more than 70 year history, NPU was the birthplace of the first small unmanned-air-vehicle (UAV, or drone), ground effect vehicle, autonomous underwater vehicle and on-board spacecraft computer in China.

Nature Publishing Index China ranking: 124 (the higher the number, the fewer papers published in international journals)

Domestic university ranking: 32