♦  August 26, 1983, State Council granted permission to establish STU.
♦  1983, first undergraduate students enrolled at STU; Ministry of Education approved the merger of Shantou Medical Vocational School under STU and to be renamed Shantou University Medical College (SUMC).
♦  January 1, 1984, STU foundation stone ceremoniously laid.
♦  June 20, 1986, Deng Xiaoping received Mr. Li Ka-shing in Beijing and suggested that STU develop along freer lines and gradually attain the status of a national key university.
♦  February 10, 1987, STU Council established.
♦  February 8, 1990, STU inauguration ceremony held.
♦  1991, STU listed among the universities to enroll students with scores above the first-round undergraduate admission cut-off mark.
♦  1993, STU authorized to conduct Master's programs.
♦  December 1996, STU short-listed as a candidate for the "Project 211."
♦   1998, STU authorized to offer doctoral programs.
♦  2001, the Preclinical Medicine Center for post-doctoral studies was established.
♦  2002, Pathology and Pathophysiology approved by the MOE as a National Key Discipline.
♦   2002, Credit System Reform and English Enhancement Program were launched.
♦  July 2003, STU passed the project assessment for "Project 211" in the "Ninth Five-Year Plan."
♦  April 2007, STU received "outstanding" accreditation by the Ministry of Education for its undergraduate programs following an audit by high-caliber panelists selected by MOE.
♦   2007, STU ranked No.53 among all national colleges & universities and No.14 among comprehensive universities, according to the 2007 Chinese University Ranking in Scientific Innovation.