Up to now, there are 16 universities in Xiamen, including Xiamen University, Jimei University, Xiamen Institute of Technology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen Huaxia College, Xiamen Institute of Technology, Chengyi College of Jimei University, Xiamen Ocean Vocational and Technical College, Xiamen City Vocational College, Xiamen Performing Arts Vocational College, Xiamen Huatian Foreign Vocational and Technical College, Xiamen Xing Cai Vocational and Technical College, Xiamen Software Vocational and Technical College, Xiamen Nanyang Vocational College and Xiamen Donghai Vocational and Technical College.

Xiamen University, founded in 192 1, is the first university founded by overseas Chinese in China's modern education history, one of the earliest universities in China to recruit graduate students, and the first university to build an independent campus overseas. Its early buildings were selected as the national key cultural relics protection units and the first batch of China 20th century architectural heritage, and were praised as "the strongest in the South" and "the most beautiful university in China".