Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) hosted the 51st ICPC Asia Nanjing Regional Contest on 7–8 November 2026 at its Jiangjun Road campus. It was the tenth time NUAA has hosted the event. More than 1,000 students in 374 teams from 185 universities competed in one of the hardest programming contests for university students.
ICPC, the International Collegiate Programming Contest, is one of the most demanding and most closely watched computing competitions for university students, and a place where companies and universities look for strong algorithm and software talent. This year's Nanjing contest brought 332 official teams and 42 invited teams to the NUAA campus. The contest produced 33 gold-medal teams. Teams from Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University finished first, second and third.
Key facts
Event: the 51st ICPC Asia Nanjing Regional Contest, held on 7–8 November 2026.
Venue: NUAA's Jiangjun Road campus in Nanjing; NUAA has now hosted the contest 10 times.
Scale: 332 official teams and 42 invited teams, with more than 1,000 contestants from 185 universities.
International and regional entries: the official teams included 2 teams from Mongolia and 15 teams from Hong Kong, China.
Format: teams of 3 students solve problems in a single 5-hour round.
Results: 33 gold-medal teams; Tsinghua University won, Peking University was second and Zhejiang University third.
Invited teams included company teams, graduate teams and teams from leading high schools and middle schools.
What happened
The opening ceremony took place on 7 November. Pan Shilong, Assistant to the President of NUAA, told participants that software is a core foundation of information technology and that programming is the basis of software development. He said the contest offers a good platform to find, train and bring together talented programmers, and that NUAA hopes to strengthen exchanges with other universities in the field.
The contest itself ran on 8 November. According to NUAA's College of Computer Science and Technology, which reported the event, the three-person, five-hour format tested each team's algorithm skills, coding speed and teamwork. Student volunteers and staff handled guidance, supplies and technical support around the hall.
NUAA says it will use the contest to deepen cooperation with other universities and companies in training software talent.
What this means for international students
Hosting a major ICPC regional event shows that NUAA has a strong computing community alongside its aerospace focus. International students interested in computer science, software or artificial intelligence can explore taught options on our programmes page, and research students can look for a computing supervisor through Find a Supervisor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ICPC Asia Nanjing Regional Contest?
It is one of the regional rounds of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), a team competition for university students. Teams of three solve algorithm problems in five hours. The 51st Nanjing round was held at NUAA on 7–8 November 2026, with more than 1,000 contestants from 185 universities.
How many times has NUAA hosted the ICPC Nanjing contest?
The 2026 contest was the tenth time NUAA has hosted the ICPC Asia Nanjing Regional Contest. This year it welcomed 332 official teams and 42 invited teams to its Jiangjun Road campus, including 2 teams from Mongolia and 15 teams from Hong Kong, China.
Can international students study computer science at NUAA?
Yes. NUAA has a College of Computer Science and Technology, and international students can apply for degree programmes and research supervision in computing-related fields. Applications for the March 2027 intake are open. Check the programmes page for the current list of courses and entry requirements.
Sources: NUAA News
