Southwest Agricultural University (西南农业大学) is a public and national key university located in Chongqing, China. It was founded in 1950 and has cultivated thousands of talents in the field of agriculture. In 2005, it was merged with Southwest Normal University to form a new institution, Southwest University. Southwest Agricultural University was founded in 1950, as Southwest Agricultural College. In 1950, in a nation-wide movement of introduction of the Soviet Union higher education model, the College was merged with other agriculture-related programs from several other institutions. In 1985, the College was renamed Southwest Agricultural University in the recognition of its importance for China's higher education by the National Council of China. Southwest Agricultural University is among the first institutions that were allowed by the Chinese government to confer advanced degrees, including Master and Doctorate. In 2005, it was merged with Southwest Normal University and renamed Southwestern University.