Southeast University (SEU, Pinyin: Dōngnán Dàxué, Simplified Chinese: 东南大学), colloquially Dong Nan (Pinyin: Dōng Nán , Simplified Chinese: 东南) is a public, coeducational research university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. SEU is one of the national key universities administered directly under the Ministry of Education of China. It is also one of the first universities accredited by the State Council to determine and approve the qualifications of professor, associate professor and doctoral supervisor. In 1995, the university passed the assessment by the Ministry of Education for Project 211 and was listed as one of the universities that will be financed by the state as part of that project. In 1996, it was assessed as an outstanding university for its excellent undergraduate education. Since 2000, SEU has been a member of Project 985, which financially supports the university to achieve the goal of being the top and world-famous university. The Imperial Nanjing School (founded in CE 258), the highest educational institution in the period of the Three Kingdoms, was the predecessor of Southeast University.