SUFE’s history can be traced back to the Fall of 1917 when a commerce program was established at Nanjing Higher Normal School. In 1921, the program was transferred to Shanghai and developed into Shanghai College of Commerce which was the vanguard in commercial education in Mainland China. It was run by the National Southeastern University and Jinan College. Guo Bingwen, a PhD from Columbia University, was the first President. Ma Yinchu, another PhD from Columbia University, became the founding Provost. Many other Chinese scholars who had studied abroad from leading universities also joined the faculty.

For instance, in the academic year of 1923-1924, 11 out of the 16 Chinese faculty members at the then Shanghai University of Commerce had excellent education backgrounds in outstanding overseas universities, such as Harvard University, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois and the University of Edinburgh.

In 1928, the university was renamed as the College of Commerce of the National Central University. The school became independent from Central University in 1932 and was then called the National Shanghai Institute of Commerce. Through this transition, it became the first completely independent commerce university in the mainland.

In 1950, the college was again renamed, recognized as Shanghai Institute of Finance and Economics. And it became the only financial institution of higher learning in East China after the adjustment of faculties in the 1950s.

In 1985, it adopted it’s current name of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). Great Elder Chen Yun (1905-1995), one of modern China’s most influential leaders, wrote SUFE’s name in calligrapgy as a gift. In 1997, Jiang Zemin, the then General Secretary of CPPCC, also gave his words at the celebration of the university’s 80th Anniversary. He wrote, “With views into the new century, develop Shanghai University of Finance and Economics into a first-rate university.”

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