BEIJING, June 22 -- Duke Kunshan University will welcome the first students in its undergraduate degree program in August 2018, according to a press release.

The four-year bachelor's degree program, initially offering eight undergraduate majors, was designed by faculty at Duke University with input from Chinese higher education experts.

Graduates of the program will receive a bachelor's degree from Duke University as well as a degree from Duke Kunshan University approved by China's Ministry of Education.

The university expects to accept 175 students from 12 Chinese provinces and municipalities, who will have to take the National Higher Education Entrance Examination, also known as the Gaokao.

International students from outside of China are required to submit either their SAT or ACT test scores in the application process and admission criteria will be similar to that of Duke University.

Courses will be taught in English and will be primarily conducted in small, discussion-based classes. Overall, Duke Kunshan will have a student-faculty ratio of 10:1.

Duke Kunshan University was jointly founded by Duke University, China's Wuhan University and the city of Kunshan in 2013 and currently offers master's degree programs.