Below are some of the questions we get from parents most frequently. We have arranged the questions by topics. If you don't find an answer to your question below, you can email us at shanghai.newstudents@nyu.edu
Click to download the FAQ document.
Orientation Week
2023 First Year Orientation Week is from August 21st to August 26th. Orientation Week is required for all first year students and cannot be skipped.
Parents are invited to the Campus Tour and Parent’s Panel on campus in the afternoon of Move-in Day (August 20, 2023). Due to limited space, parents and guests will not be able to join the University Welcome, but we will record the event and share it with you after Orientation.
Orientation Week is designed to give first year students knowledge about university resources, allow them to meet and bond with their cohort, and get involved with their new community. It is important for your student to spend time with their new peers in session discussions and team activities throughout the orientation week.
While some of these events are optional, pulling your student out of these events will make it harder for them to adjust to life at NYU Shanghai. Because of this, we strongly recommend that you say your final goodbyes to your students at the end of the Move-in Day, and allow them to enjoy Orientation Week independently.
First-year students can move into their rooms at the Jingyao Residence Hall at 9 AM on August 20th, 2023 (533 Jiming Road, Pudong, or Real Estate Chengfang Yaohua for Didi). A few days before Move-in Day, students will receive the key code for their room. Students will receive their NYU ID Card, NYU Shanghai student booklet, a pre-loaded metro card, and a Class of 2027 T-Shirt from the Welcome Table on Move-in Day. This is a special day for every new student and we will have staff on-site from the following teams: Student Mobility, Information Technology, Bursar Office, and Student Health Center to assist you with specific questions.
We will also arrange shuttle buses for airport pick-up on a fixed schedule, which will be announced in the summer newsletter. There will also be shuttle buses running between the residence hall and the campus for those who want to go to campus for cell phone registration and the Parent’s Panel.
On Move-in Day, NYU Shanghai will provide shuttle buses for students of the Class of 2027 from Pudong International Airport (PVG), Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), and Hongqiao Railway Station to the Jingyao Residence Hall (533 Jiming Road, Pudong).
Shuttle buses will depart from PVG and SHA (airport and train station) on a set schedule (confirmed schedule will be announced in the summer newsletter). Students will be given priority seating on the shuttle bus, but seats for your family are not guaranteed. Family members can either wait for an available seat on the bus or take a taxi. Our shuttle bus has enough storage capacity for approximately 2 medium to large suitcases per student, so remember to pack accordingly.
If you arrive in the late evening, you will probably miss our airport shuttle bus. We recommend that you line up in the taxi queue at the airport, and take a taxi to the Jingyao Residence Hall (533 Jiming Road, Pudong or Real Estate Chengfang Yaohua for Didi). This should cost around 140 RMB (20 US dollars) with no traffic.
There are a few hotels close to the NYU Shanghai campus and they offer a corporate rate for students and parents. Please click this link to find the hotels. To enjoy the rate, you need to contact the Sales Representative listed in the Hotel Guide and indicate that you are part of the NYU Shanghai community.
The Fall housing application for international students will be released in June. The Fall housing application for Chinese students will be released in July. Housing assignments for all students will be sent out in August.
Multi-cultural integration and understanding is a fundamental aspect of NYU Shanghai’s educational mission. To further this mission, we prioritize assigning students with someone from a different geographical background. We make every effort for each room to have an international-Chinese student pairing.
In addition, based on the answers to the lifestyle questionnaire in the housing application, we will try to pair students with someone who has similar lifestyle habits.
Each NYU Shanghai Residence Hall room is equipped with furniture (bed, closet, desk and chair), NYU Shanghai wi-fi, air conditioning, private kitchen (fridge, water filter, kettle, induction cooktop), private bathroom, and washing machine.
Students can purchase linen sets which include quilt, quilt cover, pillow, pillow cover, and bed sheet at a price of 350 RMB from the Tower 5 Resource Center at the time of move-in.
There are several local supermarkets and shops nearby like HeMa, Carrefour, and Ikea. Students can also purchase daily necessities at the local stores like Lian Hua Supermarket (联华超市)
In addition, students have affordable restaurant options in the nearby business malls such as the floor B1 of Shanghai SK Building and International Metropolis Plaza (located about 2 blocks away).
All kitchens are equipped with a cooktop, water filtration system, kettle, and fridge. All other kitchen supplies need to be purchased by the students. Students may purchase personal kitchen appliances as long as: 1) the total wattage of all appliances does not exceed 3000W, 2) the appliance is not an open-flame device and 3) the use of the appliances does not require power strip/extension cords.
All housing units are equipped with a private bathroom and private kitchen shared by a maximum of 3 students per apartment.
For a full list of prohibited items, please consult the Furniture Policy for Residence Halls and the Fire Safety Policy for Residence Halls sections of the NYU Shanghai Student Conducts and Policies. In general, we advise students against bringing furniture until they have communicated with their roommate(s) and experienced the living space, even if the furniture meets our Furniture Policy.
Packages should be shipped directly to the Residence Hall, however, they cannot arrive before the student has checked into the Residence Hall. To receive packages at Jingyao Residence Halls, please use smart lockers located in front of Tower 3 and/or community mailroom (菜鸟) located between Tower 2 and Tower 3.
For shipping, please use the following address and format:
(English) Room XXXX, Tower X, No. 533 Jiming Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai, China, 200126
(Chinese) 上海市 浦东新区 济明路533弄 X号楼 XXXX 【200126】
NYU Shanghai does not provide summer storage and encourages our students to pack light when preparing for NYU Shanghai. However, if your student would like to store their belongings over summer, NYU Shanghai has negotiated with a private storage company which offers a discounted rate for our students.
To strengthen the bond of each cohort, first-year and sophomore students are required to live on campus for four semesters. Junior and senior students have the option to live on campus, but are not required to live on campus. Additionally, study away students are required to live on-campus as specified by one of NYU’s global sites during their study away time period. On-campus housing is available for all four years.
Students are allowed to stay in their room over all breaks during the academic semester. If students are signed up for both fall and spring semester housing, they can stay in their room over Winter Break. If students are not signed up for housing for both semesters, they will be asked to move-out at the end of the semester (please refer to the Academic Calendar).
There are three mobile phone service providers in China: China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile. You can find their service centers near the Jingyao residence hall. There are also several banks around campus such as Bank of China (BOC) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) where you can easily access services in English.
To make it easier for new students, we will invite these service vendors to campus during orientation to help new students sign up for local cell phone numbers and Chinese bank accounts. Students just need to bring their passport and some cash with them to campus.
We recommend that students first make a list of all the items they would like to bring and then decide whether they can find them in China. Chances are good that you will find them! When you start packing, the most important items to bring are clothing for all seasons (Shanghai can get very hot and very cold), any preferred or special toiletry products, cosmetics, and medication.
In general, it should be noted that clothing and shoe sizes run small in China. Because of this, it may be difficult to find clothing or shoes that fit, or stores that carry plus sizes.
It can be hard to find cosmetics for diverse skin tones in China, so you might consider bringing extra from home.
Check the voltage of your home country before you come to China. China uses 220V electricity, so if your country’s voltage is lower than 220V and you plan to bring an appliance from your home country (like a hair straightener, steamer, etc), you may need a voltage converter to use your appliance. While this is one option, we generally encourage students to buy the appliance in Shanghai, if possible. Electronics like computers, cell phones, gaming devices, etc usually do not need a voltage adapter since most are designed to accept a range of voltages. To see if your device will work in China, you should check your product specs to see if it will accept 220V.
The main sockets used in Mainland China are Type A and Type I. Type A plugs have two holes of the same shape and size and are commonly used outside of Mainland China in countries like the United States, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Colombia, etc. Because of the way Type A plugs are designed in Mainland China they can also accept Type C and Type I plugs, which are widely used in Europe and South Korea. If you come from one of these countries, you should be able to use your two pronged charger to charge or power your electrical appliances. Type I plugs have 3 holes and are commonly used in countries outside of Mainland China like Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Fiji.
Mainland China outlets look like this:
NYU Shanghai Public Safety organizes regular shuttle bus service between the Jingyao Residence Hall and the campus during the academic semester. These buses typically operate from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM. The regular shuttle bus schedule will be announced at the beginning of each semester by the Department of Public Safety.
Billing and payment deadline information for Academic Year 2023-2024 will be available in June, 2023. You can visit the Bills, Payments and Refund webpage, or contact the Bursar Office at shanghai.studentaccounts@nyu.edu.
International and U.S. students, please contact: shanghai.financial.support@nyu.edu | +1-212-998-2838
Chinese students, please contact: shanghai.chinese.financial.support@nyu.edu
There are 4 state owned banks in China. They are The Bank of China (BOC), the China Construction Bank (CCB), Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). They are all quite reliable banks. The Center for New Student Programs will invite representatives from local banks to assist students with bank account registration during orientation.
There is also an ICBC ATM machine located on the NB2 floor on New Bund Campus where students can withdraw cash from the machine directly.
To open a Chinese bank account, you will need to have the following items prepared: a Chinese phone number, a passport with valid Chinese Visa, your student ID card, an admission letter, and 10-20 RMB in cash. You might also be asked for your social security number if you are from the U.S. It usually takes about 1-2 hours at the bank to finish all paperwork and open the account at the counter and it will take up to 3 weeks for the document reviewing process.
Though it is not recommended to bring a large amount of cash, students may need anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 rmb to cover the cost of their Health Check, transportation, and food in the first few weeks. It is recommended that you and your student contact your bank before departure and bring a debit/credit card that can withdraw cash from local Shanghai ATMS to cover expenses in the first month.
This depends on the policies at each bank. Please also be aware that the NYU Shanghai Bursar Office does not accept payment with credit card or checks.
To transfer money, you will need to show your student’s the account information to your bank. This information includes:
- SWIFT code
- Bank name
- Branch name
- Bank address
- Bank account number
- Account holder’s name
A transfer error can occur if the name on the transfer does not match the name on the Chinese bank account. Please double check the name (including capitalization and space) against the application receipt your student received when he/she opened the account.
How to invite parents and authorized user
- Access your eSuite account by logging into the Albert Student Center via NYUHome. Your NYU Shanghai NetID and password are required.
- Once in the Albert Student Center, click on the View Bursar Account link, located under the Finances menu. This will take you to the secure eSuite website.
- After logging on to the eSuite website, go to the My Account tab, and then click the Authorized Users link.
- Enter the email address of the person you are authorizing.
- That person will receive two email notifications with instructions on how to set up his or her individual eSuite account. After they enroll, they will be notified each time a new billing statement is available.
- After you are invited as an authorized user by your student, log into TouchNet with your registered email address and password.
- Click the ‘View Activity’ button in the middle of the page to view your student’s financial account activities.
We recommend that you get the MMR and Meningitis vaccines before you come to Shanghai. Although the vaccines are available in Shanghai, they are not administered by the Student Health Center, so it is much more convenient to get these at home.
This depends on the availability of the medication. Please contact the Student Health Center at shanghai.health@nyu.edu before you arrive in Shanghai if you take any medication and may need refills.
Shanghai Raffles Hospital is about 5 minutes away by car, and can serve International students in an emergency.
We have two full-time counselors and two part-time counselors on staff. In addition to our staff counselors, we can also refer your student to expat mental health professionals in the Shanghai community. Students can schedule an appointment at our Student Health Center or speak with a mental or medical health professional 24/7 by calling the NYU Wellness Exchange (Toll free at (021) 2059-9999).
This depends, see click here for more details.
While the air quality in Shanghai and throughout China has improved in recent years, your student should stay updated about air quality while they’re here, especially if they have asthma or other respiratory conditions.
To help monitor air pollution, NYU Shanghai sends students, faculty, and staff daily air quality reports via the NYU Shanghai WeChat platform.
The air in the NYU Shanghai campus is filtered and regularly tested to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our students. Masks are a matter of personal preference and need for each student. While a majority of our students find it unnecessary to wear a mask, we provide a free supply for all students at our Student Health Center.
NYU Shanghai does not have meal plans. Instead, students may use cash or mobile payment to top up their campus card, which can be used in the cafeteria and cafe. The average cost for one meal at the NYU Shanghai cafeteria is 30 RMB.
In order to meet the needs of students from different countries, our cafeteria offers Chinese, Western, Halal, Vegetarian, and Vegan options.
Besides the NYU Shanghai Cafeteria, there are also 2 large malls located 8-10 minutes walking distance from campus. Though generally more expensive than the NYU Shanghai Cafeteria, these malls have a wider range of Chinese and Western options. Food delivery is also readily available in Shanghai and there are multiple apps like Ele.Me, Sherpas, and Meituan that students, staff, and faculty often use to order food.
When it comes to vegetarian options, China has plenty to offer. There are quite a few vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai which are at a reasonable price. Since vegetables, beans and tofu products play an important role in Chinese cuisine, it is not difficult to find a vegetarian option in most of the restaurants. It is also a good idea to say “sucai” (vegetarian) as opposed to “bu yao rou” (no meat), as seafood is not considered as “rou” in China.
To enjoy being a vegan in China, you will first need to be brave enough to enjoy Chinese food. Vegan restaurants are expensive in China, and they are few. But once you enjoy the Chinese food, you will find plenty of options. However, one thing you must consider is that most of the time, it’s hard to tell whether the dishes you order use animal-based oils, sauces, or broths in preparation. So you will need to be a bit flexible on it. It is also hard to find vegan breads in most of the bakery. Instead, you can try the steamed bun which is common for a Chinese breakfast. At the NYU Shanghai Cafeteria, all vegetarian and vegan food is clearly labeled.
If you observe a halal diet while in Shanghai, you should have no problem finding halal or “Qingzhen Cai” (清真菜). Muslim restaurants and food stalls can easily be found near the NYU Shanghai Residence Halls and the Academic Building. In addition, the NYU Shanghai Cafeteria offers Halal options every day.
Refer to the 2023-2024 Academic Calender to check dates for school breaks. In general, students have a week-long fall break during Chinese National holidays in October, a month-long winter break between fall and spring semester, a week-long spring break in early April, and a summer break in June, July, and August.
You can refer to the 2023-2024 Academic Calender for move out dates. Since different classes have finals on different days, some students will finish earlier than others. Please confirm the date with your student.
New York University, as a nonsectarian institution, adheres to the general policy of including in its official calendar only certain legal holidays. Students who anticipate being absent because of any religious observance should notify their faculty in advance of such anticipated absence.
Faculty are asked, that whenever feasible, examinations and assignment deadlines not be scheduled on religious holidays. Any student absent from class because of religious beliefs shall not be penalized for any class, examination, or assignment deadline missed on that day or days.
If examinations or assignment deadlines are scheduled, any student who is unable to attend class because of religious beliefs shall be given the opportunity to make up that day or days. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student who avails him/herself of the above provisions.
Parent(s) should contact your student for academic performance information.
Students must sign a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Waiver Form to grant parent(s) access to their education records. In cases when students sign the waiver form, the student and parent must both be present at all conversations pertaining to student records.
Students have the option to provide other individuals (or proxies) select access to their Albert records.
To grant guests access to their records students must go to their Albert Student Center and follow the steps below:
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Go to the “Personal Info” section
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Click the “Guest User” link
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Click “Albert Mobile Login”
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Click “Manage Guest Users”
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Click “Add a Guest User”
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Enter the name and email of the authorized guest user in the fields provided
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Select the specific components of the academic record the guest should be able to access
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Save
Once access has been granted, the authorized guest will receive an email listing the items to which they have been granted access. This email will also include login credentials and instructions. To access the information:
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Click the link provided in the email
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Select “Albert Mobile Login”
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Enter the username and password provided in the email
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Once signed-in you can see the student’s Albert Mobile Dashboard. Use the left-hand navigation menu to view the student’s information
Working on campus allows a student to take advantage of the many resources provided by university departments and helps students gain real work experience. The Center for Career Development encourages students to develop professional skills starting in their first year by applying for an on-campus job. Students can use a few hours of their time and talent each week to contribute to the university and gain work experience.
These positions will help students strengthen their résumés, develop important skills for future employment, and earn a monthly paycheck. In the past, some student workers made videos for their departments. Watch these videos to get a better sense of the student worker experience!
Departments hire new student workers at the beginning of each Fall semester. And the commitment for each position is usually one academic year. All job descriptions will be posted on Handshake. If students are interested in applying for student worker positions, please read the job descriptions in Handshake and apply accordingly. In addition to hiring at the start of the semester, some departments also open positions throughout the semester. If students have questions about specific positions, they should contact the representative for each job posting.
Throughout the year, the Center For Career Development (CCD) hosts a variety of programs, workshops, fairs, and conferences. Please check here to see the CCD calendar of 2022 Fall Semester. These events provide relevant career related information, useful professional skills, and networking opportunities. Events include:
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Career Fairs
Hosted twice a year, career fairs give students a convenient opportunity to meet a large number of organizations recruiting for internships and full-time positions. Representatives from various industries visit the campus, and provide information about their organization, and tell us the types of talent they are looking to recruit.
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CareerLab
The CareerLab is an innovative center that takes advantage of the digital and technological power to stimulate students' self-learning in career development regardless of time and space.
CareerLab is composed of Online Courses, Digital Toolkits and Video Library.
- Online Courses on BrightSpace provide essential and basic knowledge for Resume Writing, Interview Preparation, Internship Searching and Networking.
- In the Digital Toolkits, students have free access to a variety of career resources and platforms, from resume checkers like Vmock to interview preparation platforms like Big Interview, from networking platforms like LinkedIn and the Violet Network, to global job searching websites like Going Global and Handshake.
- In the Video Library students can access more than 100 recordings of the CCD events to gain insider industry knowledge, and learn tips on career skill-building and advice from professionals and alumni.
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Workshops, Panels, and Conferences
Every semester, the CCD offers professional development workshops, panels, and conferences to provide career skills and knowledge to students.
The I AM LIMITLESS Conference is an annual event hosted by the Career Development Center. During the past I AM LIMITLESS Conferences, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming social impact awards winners as keynote speakers and young NYU Shanghai alumni to campus to speak. Through this conference, we hope to support NYU Shanghai students in fostering a service mindset in all career paths, helping draw positive inspiration from professionals, alumni, and peers, and making an impact in our neighborhood, community, and the world.
Check the CCD website to see more information.
I AM LIMITLESS Conference 2023
I AM LIMITLESS Conference 2022
I AM LIMITLESS Conference 2021
I AM LIMITLESS Conference 2020
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Employer Events
CCD collaborates with employers to host events throughout the year, including company information sessions, business competitions, and industry-specific conferences.
At these events, students gain insight into successfully applying to a company, extend their classroom knowledge to real-life business challenges, and expand their professional network. Students also have the chance to apply for semester and year-long career programs. Enrollment in these programs and interacting with peers, alumni, and staff will help you gain recognition as a student leader and build your career network.
No. There are an increasing number of employers who are open to hiring international students without Chinese language fluency, but advanced Chinese language skills are a plus.
On average, 15% of international students chose to stay in China after graduation. Some of them chose to work in China. The employers are Huawei Technologies, Bytedance, IBM, Pinduoduo, Unicredit and Run the Chain, and more. Some of them decided to pursue master degrees in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and other cities. The universities which host the students are Tsinghua University (Schwarzman Scholars), Peking University (Yenching Scholars), City University of Hong Kong, Nanjing University, NYU Shanghai, New York University Joint Degree Program and more.
Check the Life Beyond Century Avenue report to see more information.
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2022
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2021
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2020
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2019
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2018
Life Beyond Century Avenue: Class of 2017
Shanghai is as safe or safer than any major metropolis with more than 10 million residents. Locals are quite warm and friendly. It’s safe to walk on the streets at night. However, there may be pick-pockets on the streets, public transport, and in restaurants and bars. So always keep an eye on your belongings. Please also be aware of taxi scams, where drivers target people who don’t look like locals by inflating fares or taking a longer ride. Students will learn more of the safety tips via pre-departure online orientation in early August.
Shanghai is extremely hot and humid in the summer from late June to early September. The average temperature is around 28°C (82°F). In the past years, the hottest day reached over 40°C (104°F). Since both the campus and the residence hall are covered by air-conditioning, you may feel cold while indoors.
Shanghai is also cold in the winter from late December to early March. It might occasionally snow in Shanghai during the winter, and average temperatures are around 5°C. There's no need to pack too many clothes as you can easily find familiar brands like the GAP, H&M, and Uniqlo in Shanghai.
The Office of Student Life plans and organizes a number of events and activities throughout the academic year. Orientation week is the first chance for first-year students to meet new peers, explore the city together, and make friends.
Residential Assistants regularly organize floor events and weekend events which help residents get to know floormates better. Other ways to get involved include sports teams, clubs, student government, and participate in community service activities.
To better prepare for first-semester registration in August, all incoming students will be required to complete an Online Advising Module to get their registration hold released and successfully enroll in classes when registration begins.
Around mid-July, incoming international students will receive information about the Online Advising Module from the Summer Newsletter. Incoming Chinese students will receive the Online Advising Module information later in July.
The Academic Advising Office will also send out reminder emails with information about academic planning, course registration procedures and policies, and Academic Peer Advising programs to better support student’s upcoming registration and academic adjustment.
Students will receive a major interest survey this summer. The Academic Advising Office will assign incoming students to an academic advisor based on the student's survey submission. Before receiving the advisor assignments, students may reach out to shanghai.advising@nyu.edu for academic related questions.
The Academic Resource Center (ARC) offers academic support and resources for students enrolled in NYU Shanghai courses. Students are welcome to book appointments with Global Writing & Speaking Fellows and Writing & Speaking Learning Assistants (LAs) to develop English writing, speaking, listening, and reading skills.
The Writing & Speaking Fellows also help students develop study habits and other academic skills such as time management, exam preparation, class participation, communication with professors, etc.
Students are also welcome to work with course-specific Learning Assistants (LAs) to discuss course content, address problems in learning, review important concepts and practice problem-solving.
The ARC offers a variety of workshops on English language skills and other academic skills throughout the semester. More information about ARC workshops can be found on the ARC Engage webpage.
NYU Shanghai is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities. The NYU Shanghai Academic Accommodations Team works with students through collaboration with the NYU Moses Center for Student Accessibility to implement appropriate and reasonable accommodations that support equal access to a world-class education.
Students with disabilities may apply for academic accommodations by filling out an online application form. An Accessibility Specialist from the Moses Center will follow up with the student to discuss reasonable academic accommodations. Once approved for academic accommodations, the Academic Accommodations Team will provide onsite support for students needing exam accommodations (i.e., extended time, smaller proctored environment, etc.) and address any questions about academic accommodations. Check out the Student Resources to learn more about the application process and students’ frequently asked questions.
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