Founded in 1952, Beihang University (BUAA) was originally formed by merging aeronautical departments of eight different top Chinese Universities. BUAA is a publicly funded, research focused university attended by around 30,000 students, of which around 1,700 are international from 90 countries. Through its International School, BUAA offers study options in English at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The University partners with around 185 universities world-wide, as well as companies and research institutions spread across 30 countries.