The School of Data Science and Applications was established in July 2025, originating from the former School of Computer and Data Engineering. After years of development and accumulation, it has formed a solid foundation in teaching and scientific research in professional fields such as applied statistics, economic statistics, mathematics, and big data science. To further focus on the core advantages of data science, deepen interdisciplinary integration and innovation, and optimize the layout of disciplines and majors, the university established the school by integrating and optimizing resources from various parties based on the relevant majors of the former School of Computer and Data Engineering.

The school currently consists of two teaching departments, Economic Statistics and Big Data, and offers four full-time undergraduate majors: Economic Statistics, Applied Statistics, Data Science and Big Data Technology, and Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. The curriculum is closely centered around basic data theories and cutting-edge application technologies, constructing a complete disciplinary system from theoretical research to practical application. The school is committed to cultivating high-quality composite applied talents with profound data literacy, innovative thinking, and interdisciplinary application capabilities, providing solid intellectual support and talent guarantees for national and local technological innovation, economic development, and social progress.

The school possesses a faculty with strong expertise and a well-balanced structure. There are currently 43 full-time and part-time teachers, including 7 professors and 13 associate professors. The proportion of teachers with senior professional titles reaches 46.5%, ranking among the top of similar institutions. In terms of educational background, 31 teachers hold a master's degree or higher, accounting for 72.1%. The faculty team not only possesses profound theoretical knowledge but also has rich practical application capabilities, providing students with high-quality teaching and guidance to assist their comprehensive development in academic and practical fields.

The school has been selected for projects such as the Ministry of Education's Data China Hundred Schools Project, the provincial-level Six Excellences and One Top-notch Excellent Talent Cultivation Innovation Project, and the Provincial University Excellent Young and Middle-aged Backbone Talent Project. It has established a provincial-level demonstration experimental and training center and a provincial-level teaching innovation team. Many teachers have been honored with titles such as provincial (university) level teaching masters, outstanding teachers, and rising stars in teaching. The school has long maintained close ties with renowned domestic and international universities such as Nanjing University, Hefei University of Technology, Michigan State University, and Vanderbilt University in areas such as academic exchange and project applications. In recent years, faculty members have presided over more than 30 national and provincial-level quality engineering and scientific research projects and completed nearly 10 horizontal projects. They have edited or co-edited more than 10 textbooks and published over 200 high-quality teaching and research papers in domestic and international journals and conferences. They have won one first prize and two second prizes in provincial teaching achievements, as well as multiple university-level teaching achievement awards. Additionally, they have received one third prize in a provincial teaching competition and multiple university-level awards. Serving local development, they have completed and had more than 10 think tank reports adopted by government departments at or above the prefecture level and participated in the formulation of several industry standards.

The school actively organizes students to participate in domestic and international disciplinary competitions with fruitful results. These include winning over 10 various awards such as first, second, and third prizes in competitions like the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM/ICM) and the Asia-Pacific Mathematical Contest in Modeling. In competitions such as the National Undergraduate Survey and Analysis Contest, the National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling and Mathematics Competition, the National Undergraduate Mathematics Competition, and the Anhui Undergraduate Statistical Modeling Contest, students have won more than 10 national awards and over 100 provincial-level first, second, and third prizes.

Adhering to the mission of serving the big data industry and promoting economic and social development, the school is committed to cultivating high-quality applied talents who systematically master the basic theories of big data and artificial intelligence, are proficient in professional technical skills, and possess innovative industrial application capabilities. Through the integration of industry and education and collaborative nurturing, and by combining resources from local governments, enterprises, and public institutions, the school enhances the core professional competitiveness of talent cultivation.