A novel method for the simultaneous determination of 18 PAHs in river was established by solid-phase extraction coupled with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography(SPE/UPLC).The effects of solid phase,elution system and gradient elution were optimized.Under the optimal conditions,18 PAHs could be separated in 7 min.The calibration curves of 18 PAHs showed good linearity between peak area and concentration in the range of 0.05-50 mg/L,with correlation coefficients of 0.999 1-0.999 9.The detection limits were between 0.08 ng/L and 2.03 ng/L,with relative standard deviations(RSDs) of 0.5%-2.3%.The spiked recoveries were in the range of 74.5%-103.6%.It provided a reliable method for the study of PAHs in the Longyan section of Nine Longjiang River Basin.The method is simple,sensitive,accurate and efficient,and could significantly improve the analysis efficiency of trace PAHs in rivers.