The education of international students can be traced back to the first batch of international students from Vietnam in 1964. In April 1999, the International Students Office was established as a department specialising in the education and management of international students at the university, which was later renamed as the International Students Department. In October 2001, the International Cultural Exchange School was established, responsible for recruiting and managing international students from all over the world and for improving the establishment's overall work with Chinese characteristics and international standards. It also employs Chinese characteristics, international standards and keeping pace with the times as the tenet of running the school, and adheres to the concepts of cultural exchange and inclusiveness, seeking common ground while reserving differences. With this in mind, the university provides a learning and exchange platform for international students from all over the world. At the same time, with the International Business Chinese Language Teaching Resource and Development Base (Shanghai) as an important platform, the university continues to aggregate and harness its strengths in its academic disciplines. At the same time, it is strongly involved in advancing the internationalization of the Chinese language, with work focusing on the construction of related linguistic disciplines and the cultivating of Mandarin education talents so as to further promote the use of Chinese language worldwide.

Our university has a full range of programs for international students, including undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs taught in Chinese and English, as well as non-degree programs such as in Mandarin, Business Mandarin, foundation programs, exchange programs, and visiting scholars, covering economics, management, law, liberal arts, science and other disciplines, providing a variety of professional choices for international students. Majors such as Finance, International Economics and Trade, and International Mandarin Chinese Education are highly favored by international students. In 2022, a total of 794 international students from 6 continents and 93 countries came to SUFE. Most of them chose degree programs, and some studied Mandarin and Chinese business culture at ICES.

SUFE has established a multi-level and multi-category scholarship funding system including Chinese Government Scholarships, Shanghai Municipal Government Scholarships, Confucius Institute Scholarships, and University Academic Scholarships to attract more outstanding overseas students to come.

In addition to academic studies, international students in SUFE also have a colorful campus life on offer to them. The international cultural festival, an international student brand project, has been successfully held for the 19th time, showcasing the style of our international students to both inside and outside the university through food, singing, dancing, games, etc. Extra-curricular cultural courses with traditional Chinese characteristics, such as tea art, calligraphy, and Tai Chi, help international students further understand Chinese culture. If students desire to make friends with like-minded interests, they can sign up for various cultural or sports clubs, also showing off their skills in university activities. Through social practice activities such as visiting historical sites, cities, mountains and the countryside, SUFE allows international students to better understand China's history and present through experience. Most of the above activities are organized by the International Students Society. Joining ISS can harness and develop students' comprehensive abilities, laying a solid foundation for entering society in the future.