#China #Beijing #Peking University #Future Leaders #Guanghua School

Peking University's Future Leaders Program Welcomes Its Sixth Cohort

In September 2025, the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University officially welcomed the sixth cohort of its prestigious Future Leaders Program. This innovative undergraduate program, launched in 2019, is designed to cultivate leaders who possess a deep understanding of China's economic landscape while maintaining a global perspective.

Program Overview

The Future Leaders Program is a dual-degree initiative that attracts exceptional students from leading business schools around the world. Over the past six years, it has successfully created a network of 15 top international business institutions, drawing in 235 high-achieving students from 35 countries and regions. Each cohort comprises students who have completed two years at their home institutions before transferring to Peking University for an immersive two-year study in China.

During their time at Guanghua, students engage in a rigorous curriculum that blends theoretical knowledge with practical experiences. The program includes collaborations with leading companies, providing students with firsthand exposure to China’s dynamic economic environment. Furthermore, students also have access to various Guanghua campuses across China, enriching their educational journey with diverse cultural and commercial insights.

Innovative Approach to Business Education

The Future Leaders Program's distinctiveness was recently highlighted at the Future Leaders Deans Forum in Beijing, where deans from 16 institutions assembled to discuss the future of business education. The event culminated in the signing of the Consensus on the Future of Business Education, emphasizing critical themes such as digital transformation, sustainability, interdisciplinary learning, and ethical leadership in a global context.

Professor Liu Qiao, the Dean of Guanghua, stated, "Business education stands at a crossroads. We must equip our students not just with technical skills but also with imagination, values, and the courage to tackle complex social issues."

The admission process for the Future Leaders Program is highly selective, ensuring that only the top 20% of students from partner universities are chosen. This rigorous two-stage evaluation guarantees a cohort that is not only academically proficient but also globally diverse.

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the program have made significant impacts in various sectors, including finance, consulting, technology, and social innovation. Prestigious companies such as Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Tencent have hired alumni, while others have pursued advanced studies at renowned institutions like Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford.

Niklas Muennighoff, a member of the inaugural cohort, currently pursuing a PhD in AI at Stanford, shared his positive experience: "The Future Leaders Program provided me with a true understanding of Chinese business culture and how to work effectively across borders. The final project experience was transformative and greatly shaped my professional outlook."

As the program continues to expand, fostering dialogue with institutions in the UK, Australia, Mexico, Indonesia, and beyond, it serves as a broader experiment on how universities can collaborate to prepare students for an era marked by shared global challenges.

For more information on the Future Leaders Program and the Guanghua School of Management, please visit Peking University Guanghua.