Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences) established the "International Exchange Center" in 1996, and was renamed the "College of International Education" in 2006, which is the department responsible for the education of international students in China.

 In 1999, the university was qualified to recruit international students , and began to recruit  international language students and short-term advanced students. Since 2004, he started to recruit undergraduates of clinical medicine.In 2010,he was included in the list of the Ministry of Education for recruiting western medicine undergraduate students in China (taught in English),in 2011, he won the the Shandong provincial government foreign students scholarship , In 2012, he won the title of "Advanced Unit of International Exchange and Cooperation in Shandong Province",In 2017, he became the standing director unit of foreign students education management branch of Chinese association of higher education. In 2021, he won the medical certification by Pakistan Medical Commission,In 2022, the first batch of doctoral students to study in China.

In 2011, the university became the National Chinese Proficiency Examination (HSK) test site, and in 2017, be approved as the HSK online test site which has successfully organized HSK for more than 70 times. In 2022, the university has jointly built the International medical Chinese Education Collaborative Innovation Center with Shandong University and Ningxia medical University.

The college of International Education has its own courtyard, with dedicated teaching buildings, independent male and female apartment buildings, which is responsible for international students education by implementing the management of enrollment, teaching, daily management, service apartment. He has 6 functional departments including general office、admission office、teaching affairs office、international training center、international students’affairs office（ psychological education center for international students）、logistics management center for international students  and 1 professional teaching and research section: ,international Chinese education center.

The university mainly recruits international students with bachelor's and master's level, majoring in clinical medicine, pharmacy, nursing and stomatology, and Chinese language training.By the fall of 2022, the university has recruited more than 2000 of undergraduate and master students from more than 30 countries and regions ,including the United States, South Korea, Canada, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Ghana, Tanzania, Sierra leone and so on.1,244 international students in 18 groups have obtained undergraduate degrees in clinical medicine,most of them have passed the qualifying examination of medical practitioners in their countries.Alumni associations of international students have been established in India, Nepal and Africa.

In addition to recruiting international students with academic qualifications, the college of International Education has also signed a training agreement with Gele University in Thailand to carry out a joint training program for international preparatory classes;cooperate with foreign universities or educational institutions to carry out cooperative education programs and foreign-related training programs.The college has established Chinese culture experience bases to deepen  international students' understanding of Chinese culture.

The educational work for international students of the university has been affirmed and praised by superior leaders and people from all walks of life.Then-provincial governor Guo Shuqing，then-provincial party secretary Li Ganjie  of Shandong Province,have come to our university for research, officials from the Indian and Iranian embassies, the Medical Council of Ghana, Pakistan and the ambassadors of the Republic of Sierra Leone to China have sent many delegations to our university to investigate the education of international students.They all fully affirm achievements of the international education.During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China, 40 Indian students from the university were invited to Shanghai to meet with them, which greatly enhanced the international influence of the university.Learning Power, Qiushi Magazine, Dazhong Daily, famous Indian television station IBN 7 and Aajtak, China Education Online, people's Daily Online, China Overseas Chinese Network, Qilu Network, China College Students Online, netease News, tencent News and other news media have extensively publicized and reported the educational experience of international students in our university for many times.