The self-taught examinations for higher education, a kind of higher education combined with self-study, social help and nationwide examinations, is a national examination system mainly for curricula education. The self-taught examinations for higher education started in Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE) in 1982, one of the first five universities in Shanghai which started this type of education in the early 1980s. Since then, it has offered a suite of courses for majors such as Accounting, Statistics and Taxation for undergraduate and junior college students, and Price Economics, Business Study and Finance just for junior college students. Now we have examinations for majors of Accounting, Investigation and Analysis, Marketing and Purchase and Supply Management for undergraduate students, and Accounting, Purchase and Supply Management for junior college students. We have been among the top three in Shanghai in the number of students who register for the examinations and the examination courses which are taken. Up to the end of the first half of 2007, the junior college students who had taken examinations in our school reached 16, 484 and 4,611 undergraduate students had already finished all their courses and 2,545 of these students now have received a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Characterized by the openness and flexibility, the self-taught examinations for higher education can be taken by all citizens in the People’s Republic of China without any restrictions to their gender, age, nationality and education backgrounds. People can take the examinations of different courses every April and October and have the certificate examinations every May and November. All the examinations are arranged according to the plans set for special majors to help self-taught students finish their schooling gradually either by accumulating credits or finishing courses one by one. Grading for these exams is by percentages with 100 as the maximum grade and 60 the lowest passing grade. Those who fail one exam of a course can take more exams until they pass them at any time in their life. At present, the average passing percentage for junior college students is 55% and 65% for undergraduate students. Furthermore, according to relevant regulations those who register for these examinations will be exempt from courses they have taken previously. A certificate will be granted for the student who passes the exam of one course. When a student passes all the examinations for courses set in the teaching plan and finishes his dissertation, he will be able to receive a diploma granted by Shanghai Self-Taught Examinations for Higher Education Committee with the counter signature of SUFE. Those who pass examinations for majors such as Investigation and Analysis, Purchase and Supply Management will be granted a Qualification Certificate and such undergraduates can even apply for a bachelor’s degree in management and economics.

The Office of Self-Taught Examinations for Higher Education of SUFE’s School of Continuing Education has enjoyed a good reputation for its quality education, and in 1996 and 2001 it was named “National Excellent Working Unit of Self-Taught Examinations for Higher Education”.

We warmly welcome those who wish to have a brilliant future to take self-taught examinations for higher education in the School of Continuing Education of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.