The UoS' full set of digital tools, as experienced on the UK campus, are available at SII. This includes a high-end virtual learning environment, online library facilities, various communications tools and specialized module packages as needed. Assessment submissions and marking are also done online, Rivers said.

According to Rivers, SII also has one of the most comprehensive English for Special Purposes programs within the curricula for all business programs comprising 10 modules and covering more than 500 hours of tuition in the first year of study.

"We keep oral English language classes at low teacher to student ratios, around 1:10, and the other English classes around 1:20. Both universities consider this important to support the jump from high school English language learning to being able to fully function in an English-speaking university setting," Rivers said.

Over the past 15 years, SII has been committed to obtaining relevant educational accreditations, such as that of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants for the accounting and finance program, to better support students' career paths.

"Our institute, apart from being subject to both Chinese and British quality audit requirements, has achieved accreditation issued by the China Education Association for International Exchange," Rivers said. "With a diverse population of teachers from many countries and foreign qualifications, students are exposed to different perspectives, accents and advice."

Future development

SII will continue to enhance the quality of the education it provides by introducing more programs and improving research capacity through the partnership, according to Lu.

From 2022, there will be new staffing arrangements, and the launch of a truly exciting collaborative development: a joint research center will be built and shared between SII and the University of Surrey. This initiative will add new research-intensive staff to both sides, focusing on important developments in industry and academia, including, for example, sustainable tourism, digital entrepreneurship, block-chain and fintech.

"These research-led activities will produce high-quality, co-authored publications connecting SII and the UoS, and build the foundation for a new PhD program for a new generation of postgraduate students in both Dalian and Guildford," Lu said.