The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, received approval from the Guangdong provincial government on Monday to open its doors to students.

The new university is a joint venture between the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen University and is located in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

The Ministry of Education gave its stamp of approval on March 21, a year and a half after preparatory work for the university began.

It will be one of the few universities in China to adopt an international-based curriculum in the mold of New York University Shanghai, a joint program between the New York-based institution and East China Normal University, located in Shanghai.

Peng Peng, a senior researcher at the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, said CUHK Shenzhen will combine the resources from the two universities.

For mainland students who wish to attend a university in Hong Kong, CUHK Shenzhen is a convenient choice in both location and the cost of tuition fees, he said.

CUHK Shenzhen is currently looking to recruit 300 students for undergraduate majors in marketing, international business and economics this year. The university expects to eventually have a student body of at least 11,000.

Mainland students can apply for the university with their scores from the gaokao, or the national college entrance examination. Students holding foreign passports can also apply.

Students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will not be able to apply for CUHK Shenzhen this year because their deadline to register for the college entrance examination has passed.

Xu Yangsheng, president of the university, said in a statement that CUHK Shenzhen is vital to the development of Shenzhen as it endeavors to become an internationally recognized city and a source of innovation for China.

Xu said the university is currently focused on hiring staff members from global pools and recruiting students.

He added that the university wants to recruit students from all over the world. English will be the primary language used in classes and he said most students will have the chance to interact with students from foreign countries.

Tuition will cost 95,000 yuan ($15,210) a year, similar to that for CUHK. Scholarships will be provided.

Graduating students will receive a degree certificate from CUHK and a graduation certificate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

He Baoqi contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at liwenfang@chinadaily.com.cn