Under vast skies and wide seas, with branches heavy with fruit, SDUST's Class of 2026 registered on September 4 and 5, with orientation getting under way at the same time on the Qingdao, Tai'an and Jinan campuses. More than 10,000 undergraduates and graduate students from across the country, carrying their hopes and dreams, crossed mountains and seas to gather on campus and begin a new chapter of their lives.
University leaders — Party Secretary Wang Junsong; Deputy Party Secretaries Guo Yiling and Liu Mingyong; and Members of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice Presidents Xu Fangquan, Yang Fanlin and Zhuge Fumin — visited the orientation sites. They toured key areas including college registration points, student dining halls and dormitories, inspected the support arrangements, and asked in detail how registration was progressing. At the sites, Wang Junsong talked warmly with new students and their parents, asking about their choice of major, how they were finding campus life, and their plans for the future. He encouraged them to settle in quickly, to make the most of their time and work hard, and to draw nourishment, temper their will and grow into accomplished people on this fertile ground of SDUST. During the visit he presented students with the welcome packages the University had prepared, passing on its care and good wishes.
Warmth and order went hand in hand at the registration sites. To make orientation efficient and well organized, the University planned ahead and adopted a range of measures, building an end-to-end "online plus offline" service system. Online, through the "SDUST Yiban" app and smart student-affairs platforms such as "Yi Yingxin" and "Yi Lingtong," new students could check enrollment information in advance, complete identity verification and generate a personal QR code, so that registration on site took a single one-second scan and queues were much shorter. The University also ran online activities on its history, helping students learn about SDUST's past and heritage before they arrived. Offline services dovetailed with these: volunteer stations at railway stations, metro stations and key points across campus offered round-the-clock help with pickups, directions, luggage and questions, while dedicated shuttle buses ran from the campus gates to the orientation sites and dormitories, closing the "last mile" of registration. For students from low-income families, the University opened a "green channel" so that no one would be held up in enrolling. With departments working in concert and every stage linked, security, traffic control, medical support and logistics ran as one continuous chain; rest areas for parents and cooling stations were thoughtfully provided, reflecting the University's student-centered approach. College orientation booths vied in creativity, blending each discipline's character with genuine human care to give newcomers a memorable first day.
"When I pressed the button and watched the number on the screen reach mine, I suddenly felt I really belonged here," said Song Xinyan, a 2026 undergraduate in Industrial Engineering at the College of Energy, barely containing her excitement after checking in at the "Energy Birthday Party." "I hope to build a solid foundation in my field here and find what I truly love." Yuan Wenlong, a 2026 master's student in Electronic Information at the College of Ocean Science, did his undergraduate degree at SDUST and is now, as a graduate student, "starting again from zero": "My status has changed, but the Bijiashan and Moshui River under my feet are the same. A familiar campus and a brand-new three years — I hope to immerse myself in my research, leave no regrets, and produce work I can be proud of." Liu Shihao, a 2026 doctoral student in Safety Science and Engineering at the College of Safety, looked further ahead: "I will keep my original aspiration as my anchor and dig deep into mine dust prevention and control, adding solid results to the University's push for world-class status and joining my alma mater on the next leg of its journey." From undergraduate to doctoral study, from choosing a major to pursuing an academic vision — three identities, one shared passion, and a common hope for the future among SDUST's newest students.
After registration, the University will hold its opening ceremony, military training and orientation programs to help new students "get the first button of life right" and settle into their new roles as quickly as possible. At a historic meeting point — the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the University's 75th anniversary and its push for "Double First-Class" status — the Class of 2026 is joining SDUST's high-quality development with energy and determination. They are expected to carry forward the SDUST spirit of "unyielding perseverance and a drive to excel" and to write an answer worthy of the era through solid work. In the University's grand endeavor to build a high-level applied research university led by engineering and marked by distinctive strengths, they will contribute their youth and talent, and let it shine.
