The registration procedures of international students for the spring semester started on February 16, 2011. The majority of the students attended their first classes on February 21 while the schedules for new students began at February 24 (Thursday).

The work of registration received substantial support from nearly 30 student assistants as well as the School of Chinese as a Second Language (SCSL), Zijing Yuan, Dormitory Building 351 of Western District, the Agricultural Bank (Sun Yat-sen University Branch), the Xingang Police Station and China Life Insurance (Guangdong Branch). The whole process went on smoothly with the number of over 1300 students enrolled and registered. Newly come Chinese language learners took the placement test organized by SCSL on the morning of February 21 and attended the welcoming party held by International Student Office in the afternoon. Some teachers from the office and most of the new students presented at the party where the head of office Liu Chuanhua briefly introduced the university as well as explained some relevant school rules and other important notes to the participants. The officer from the Department of Entry and Exit Administration of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau also explained the regulations concerned with visa and residence permit during the party. On February 26, the Internaitonal Student Office arranged a half day tour about the history and culture of Guangzhou which attracted more than 100 people. This trip would help students grab an initial understanding of Guangzhou.