Dr. Xiaofeng Wan
Founder, Liberal Arts Collegium
Former Associate Dean of Admission, Amherst College (2015-2024)
The Liberal Arts Collegium (China) was founded in 2025 by Dr. Xiaofeng Wan, an educator, author, and internationally recognized expert in American higher education, to introduce intellectually curious young people to the traditions and transformative power of American liberal arts education.
Dr. Wan served for nine and a half years as Associate Dean of Admission and Coordinator of International Recruitment at Amherst College, one of America's leading liberal arts colleges. His extensive experience working with students and educators worldwide deepened his appreciation for intellectual curiosity, independent thinking, and interdisciplinary learning, all of which are central to liberal arts education.
Drawing on his experience at Amherst, Dr. Wan established Liberal Arts Collegium to offer young scholars an educational experience that emphasizes intellectual exploration over examination results, encourages them to question conventional assumptions, and cultivates a genuine love of learning.
Through small, discussion-based, fully residential summer seminars in Beijing led by distinguished professors from Amherst and other leading colleges, an invitation-only gifted writers' program, and one-on-one faculty-guided academic explorations, the Collegium seeks to nurture independent thinkers who pursue knowledge not merely for academic achievement or admission results, but for the joy of discovery.
Beyond the Collegium, Dr. Wan promotes a deeper understanding of American higher education through his writing and public commentary. He has written two bestselling books on American higher education, including 《恭喜！你被录取了》, Congratulations! You Are Accepted, and 《升学之道：美国大学申请全解析》, a translation of Admission Matters. He has published widely on Inside Higher Ed, University World News, and other industry outlets. His perspectives have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, BBC, Nature, AFP, and CGTN, among other international outlets. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Boston College, where he focused his research on international student mobility.
His commitment to expanding educational opportunity also extends to high-achieving, low-income students. He is a board member of Second Chance at Higher Education, a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects high-achieving, low-income international students with full scholarships at universities worldwide. He established the first-ever KenSAP to China (ISA International Education Group) exchange program, sending a selected group of KenSAP scholars to China on fully funded ISA scholarships for a year of cultural and academic enrichment before matriculating at their U.S. colleges.