(ECNS) — Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (BiUH), China’s first independently-run foreign university, is expected to complete construction in June and welcome its frist students in September this year, according to the constructor, China Railway No. 4 Engineering Group on Monday.

BiUH is the first independently-operated branch campus of a foreign university in China and the first campus run independently by a German public university overseas.

Located in Yangpu Economic Development Zone, Danzhou, south China’s Hainan Province, the campus covers an area of 183,800 square meters (18.4 hectares) with a total investment of 1.049 billion yuan ($140 million) and plans to enroll as many as 2,500 students upon completion.

The university officially opened in September 2023 at its transitional campus in Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, Lingshui, and will move to its permanent campus in Danzhou later this year.

The new university aims to deliver German-style applied higher education to promote the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and support the growth of German enterprises in China.