On February 22nd, China Association of Higher Education (CAHE) released an analysis report on 2021 National Competitions for College Students. In the 2017-2021 Ranking Lists of National Competitions for College Students (Undergraduate), USST ranks 77th among all the colleges and universities in China, the 6th in Shanghai, and the 2nd in Shanghai municipal universities. In the 6th Round Overall Ranking Lists of National Competitions for College Students (Undergraduate), USST ranked 78th nationwide with 601 awards and a total score of 70.86 points, the 6th in Shanghai, and the 2nd among Shanghai municipal universities, up 2 places from the 5th round of the overall list. In the released 2021 Ranking List of National Competitions for College Students (Undergraduate), USST ranks 98th in the country, 6th in Shanghai, and 2nd among Shanghai municipal universities. What’s more, of the 1,197 undergraduate colleges and universities in the country included, USST has entered the top 100 in all the 3 lists released.
Over the years, USST has always attached great importance to the cultivation of students’ innovative and practical ability and the improvement of their quality. We have built a 4-level “School-University-Shanghai-Country” college student innovation and entrepreneurship training system, and has adopted a series of policies such as the formulations of the Implementation Measures on Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Programs in USST, and USST s Financial Support and Incentive Measures on Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions to encourage teachers and students to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship activities, and constantly strengthen the construction of the discipline competition training system of “Professional Cultivation-Open Selection-Focused Training-Advanced Competition”, and set up such teaching reforms as the establishment of honorary degrees and project courses, so as to spur on students to participate in more competitions, promoting learning through competitions, improving teaching effects through competitions, integrating innovation and entrepreneurship education into the whole process of talent training, and enhancing students’ innovative spirit, entrepreneurial awareness as well as their innovative and entrepreneurial ability.
In 2021, USST’s undergraduate students won 1,625 awards at or above provincial or ministerial level in the national discipline competitions for undergraduates, an increase of 9.8%, including 81 first prizes at national level and more than 240 first prizes at provincial or ministerial level. In the finals of the 7th China International College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, USST won 3 silver awards and 3 bronze awards, the number of which ranked No.1 among all the municipal colleges and universities in Shanghai. Additionally, USST achieved record-breaking results in such national competitions as National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling Competition, National Undergraduate Physics Experiment Competition and National Engineering Training Comprehensive Ability Competition.
Discipline competitions are an effective way and an important carrier to cultivate college students’ innovative spirit, creative ability and teamwork awareness, and it is also an important stage for the demonstration of the achievements of college students’ creative innovation and creation. With this in mind, USST will continue to strengthen the practice of innovation and entrepreneurship education, continuously improve the structure and layout of various discipline competitions, and strive to achieve better results in these competitions in 2022.