According to the Constitution of South and Southeast Asian University Network, Hainan Tropical Ocean University (China) has been accepted as the member of South and Southeast Asian University Network.

Introduction

Hainan Tropical Ocean University (HTOU) is the only state-owned comprehensive university jointly constructed by Hainan Provincial People's Government, China National Offshore Oil Corporation and State Oceanic Administration of P. R. C. and Sanya Municipal People's Government. It is granted as one of the ten "Educational Aid Centers" by Ministry of Education, China, "China-ASEAN Education and Training Center" by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education, China, "Regional Research Center of Shanghai Cooperation Organization University" and "China International Youth Center (Hainan)". HTOU enjoys the priority to establish Postgraduate Education Institution for MTA (Master of Tourism Administration) with the approval of the State Council Academic Degree Committee. It serves as a cradle of talents cultivation for south central Hainan and functions as a center for knowledge innovation, social service and culture inheritance.

Its predecessors were Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Region Normal School established in 1954 by Guangdong Province and Hainan Li and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Teachers' College established in 1958. After several merges, splits, adjustments and name changes, in the year of 2006, it developed into Qiongzhou University (undergraduate university). Its main campus was moved from Wuzhishan City to Sanya City in 2008. In September 2015, its name was changed into Hainan Tropical Ocean University. In December 2018, Hainan Academy of Ocean and Fisheries Sciences was transferred under the management of the university. In November 2021, the Yazhou Bay Innovation institute was established.

HNTOU now has 19 schools offering 12 postgraduate programs, 55 undergraduate programs, 2 sino-foreign cooperative education programs and 9 post-secondary programs. Its educational disciplines have expanded into 9 fields, which are Liberal Arts, Sciences, Engineering, Management, Law, History, Agriculture and Education and Philosophy. The university has 18 marine-related majors (directions), and has identified five special directions and fields, including marine science and technology, tropical marine life, tropical marine ecology and environment, island tourism, and ethnicity, which have initially formed a disciplinary system featuring marine, tourism, ethnicity and ecology. Currently, HNTOU has 18,548 full-time students and 1450 faculty members.