China University of Petroleum (UPC) is a national key university directly affiliated to the Ministry of Education and a member of the “211 Project” and “985 project innovation platform for well-established disciplines” universities. In 2017, it has been listed among the national plan of Double First-class Construction. It is co-constructed by Ministry of Education, five leading petroleum and petrochemical companies (CNPC, SINOPEC, CNOOC, CHINA SHENHUA and YANCHANG PETROLEUM) and Shandong Province. Honored as “the cradle of Petroleum talents”, UPC is an important base of high-level talents education for petroleum and petrochemical industry and has already developed into a multi-disciplinary and well-rounded university focusing on petroleum and engineering.

The university now has two campuses in Qingdao, which enjoys a high reputation as “the sailing city” and “city by the sea” with its charming scenery. Tangdao Bay, the main campus, is facing the Tangdao Bay and backed by the Little Pearl Hill with picturesque scenery. Dongying campus lies in Dongying, the central city on the Yellow River Delta and nationally known as "the city of oil". It is the old campus and now well served as the base of research and practice.

China University of Petroleum has 16 schools as well as Huicui College, College of International Education, College of Distance and Continuing Education. Focusing on undergraduate education, the university has established a complete education system, enrolling about 19000 undergraduates, 7000 postgraduates, 1100 overseas students and more than 70000 registered correspondence network students. It has a highly qualified faculty which ensures the quality of teaching and research. The university has 1700 full-time teachers, among which there are 1000 professors and associate professors, and 236 doctoral supervisors.

Since its establishment, UPC has produced a large number of personnel for the development of petroleum and petrochemical industry, including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, government officials, leading figures and backbones in engineering technology.

After more than sixty years of development, China University of Petroleum has become an engineering-oriented university and characteristics of petroleum science and formed a system with various disciplines such as science, management, liberal arts, the science of law and economics.  With more determination and confidence, it is striving for the goal of  'to be a high-level research-oriented university with its petroleum discipline reaching the world-class level and all disciplines developed comprehensively.”