Early July. Official website, Shandong Education Bureau, showed that students completed their diplomas 1 month before graduation, and issued them in early July after their defense in June. Shandong University, located in Jinan City, Shandong Province, is a national key university directly under the Ministry of Education of People's Republic of China (PRC). It is directly managed by the central government and is a deputy ministerial level. Ranked among the national first-class and 985 projects.