Dalian Maritime University is a comprehensive key institution of higher learning. It is one of the 79 institutions of higher learning for acceptation of government scholarship foreign students. Dalian Maritime University is situated in the scenic seaport city-Dalian, which is not only the most famous tourist center, but also the most beautiful summer resort in China.

   DMU has 13 colleges and three departments. There are at present: 1 post-doctoral program, 7 streams at doctoral level, 17 post-graduate courses and 24 undergraduate courses. Staff totals more than 2,263, about 721 academic staff including about 86 professors, 319 associate professors, 240 lecturers and 43 assistant lecturers. The annual enrollment of students for the past three years has averaged 3,475 per year, excluding 60 or more overseas students each year; the total number of fully registered students now reaches almost 11,000.

   DMU’s campus covers 0.865 square kilometers; the buildings cover approximately 0.440 sq. km. The estate’s assets amount to almost US $65 million. These include teaching buildings, laboratory buildings, the library, the computer center, the multimedia instruction center, the maritime training and research center, navigation simulators, marine engineering simulators, and three ocean-going training vessels of over 10,000 tonnages each.

   The University plays important roles in international organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Maritime Lecturers Association (IMLA), the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU), Association of the Maritime Education and Training Institutes in Asia Pacific (AMETIAP), the International Shipping Federation (ISF) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).

   DMU has become more competitive in maritime education and training (MET). The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch keeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995 (STCW 95), clarifies the standards of competence, introduces qualification requirements for trainers and assessors, and provides effective mechanisms for enforcement of its provisions. The University has therefore taken measures to revise its curricula and programs to meet the challenges these standards present.

   As evidence of its commitment to innovation and continuous improvement of its education and service, in 1998 the University was awarded the ISO 9001 certificate issued by the Norwegian Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and the China Maritime Safety Administration. DMU has made great efforts towards the improvement of management standards by establishing a quality assurance system. The University was the first MET institution in China to have been issued with the ISO 9001 certificate, and also the first MET institution in China to have fulfilled the requirements of the STCW 95 Convention.