Tianjin University, commonly abbreviated as TJU, was formerly known as Peiyang University. Founded on October 2, 1895, it was the first modern university in China and pioneered the development of modern higher education in the country.
Following China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, the University was established in Tianjin under the educational principle that “the foundation of national self-strengthening lies in cultivating talent, and the first step in seeking talent is to establish schools.” Its establishment was personally approved by the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and Sheng Xuanhuai served as its first superintendent. Originally named Peiyang University, the institution consisted of a First-Class School, equivalent to undergraduate education, and a Second-Class School, which provided preparatory education. The First-Class School initially offered four fields of study: law, engineering, mining, and mechanical engineering.
Throughout its development, Tianjin University has received strong support and attention from the principal leaders of the Party and the state. Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping, and other national leaders have visited the University.
Since its founding, Tianjin University has upheld the mission of “Advancing Education and Strengthening the Nation,” the motto of “Seeking Truth from Facts,” the tradition of rigorous scholarship, patriotic dedication, and a steadfast commitment to innovation. The University has made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social development and has educated more than 300,000 high-level professionals for the country and society.
Through the sustained efforts of generations of faculty, staff, and students, Tianjin University has developed into a high-level research university with a strong faculty, distinctive disciplinary strengths, nationally leading educational quality and research capabilities, and significant international influence.
The University places student development at the center of its educational mission and is committed to cultivating outstanding professionals with a strong sense of responsibility to their country and society, a global perspective, an innovative spirit, practical capabilities, and the ability to lead the future. It remains committed to fostering virtue and educating students under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, while advancing comprehensive reforms in talent cultivation through the principles of whole-process, all-round, and all-staff education, together with the coordinated development of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education.
As the chair institution of the national working group on Emerging Engineering Education, Tianjin University proposed the “TJU Action Plan” and was among the first universities in China to release and continuously update a comprehensive framework for Emerging Engineering Education. It also took the lead in establishing the International Alliance for Emerging Engineering Education and the National Center for Innovation in Emerging Engineering Education.
At the 2022 National Teaching Achievement Awards, the University received one Grand Prize and two First Prizes, ranking first nationwide in the total number of awards received. It currently has 10 recipients of the National Distinguished Teacher Award, 9 National Teaching Teams, 12 National Engineering Practice Education Centers, 7 National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Centers, 3 National Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Centers, 106 National First-Class Courses, 20 National First-Class Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching Courses, 54 National First-Class Undergraduate Programs, 5 national bases under the Top-Notch Student Training Program in Basic Disciplines 2.0, 8 programs under the Strong Foundation Program, 8 National Outstanding Textbook Awards, and one nationally recognized advanced individual in textbook development.
The University also has 10 National Innovation Experimental Zones for Talent Development and 4 National Demonstration Joint Training Bases for Professional Degree Graduate Students. It has been approved to establish a National College of Excellence in Engineering and was selected among the first institutions participating in a number of major national educational initiatives, including the development of Colleges of Future Technology, national innovation platforms integrating industry and education in energy-storage technology, national innovation and entrepreneurship colleges, comprehensive reform of doctoral education, autonomous review of degree authorization, reform programs for engineering master’s and doctoral education, the national Outstanding Teacher Program, and the “green channel” pilot program for doctoral dissertation quality inspection.
The University has established an integrated talent-development system encompassing scientific research, industry–education integration, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Four fields—energy-storage technology, new materials, biomedical devices, and integrated circuits—have been approved under national programs for cultivating high-level talent in areas of urgent strategic need. More than 70.05% of graduates choose to pursue careers in key national industries, strategic sectors, organizations, and regions.
Tianjin University follows the development philosophy of strengthening engineering, consolidating the sciences, revitalizing the humanities, advancing medicine, and promoting interdisciplinary integration. It continues to optimize its disciplinary ecosystem in response to national strategic needs and has developed a comprehensive academic structure characterized by strong engineering disciplines, close integration of science and engineering, and coordinated development across economics, management, humanities, law, medicine, education, and the arts.
The University implements the “5+X+Y” First-Class Discipline Action Plan, focusing on the development of first-class disciplines, emerging first-class discipline clusters, and future-oriented interdisciplinary fields. It currently offers 77 undergraduate programs, 53 first-level disciplines authorized to confer master’s degrees, 43 first-level disciplines authorized to confer doctoral degrees, and 40 postdoctoral research stations.
A total of 18 disciplinary fields rank among the top 1% worldwide according to Essential Science Indicators (ESI), including five in the top 0.1%. Engineering, chemistry, and materials science rank among the top 0.01% worldwide. In the latest QS World University Rankings cited by the University, Tianjin University has risen to No. 257 globally and No. 12 in China, with Architecture and the Built Environment, History of Art, and Chemical Engineering ranked among the world’s top 50 disciplines. Five disciplines have been selected for the Ministry of Education’s “101 Plan” for Education and Teaching Reform, and the University has also been selected as a demonstration institution for the development of national first-class cybersecurity colleges.
Responding to national strategic needs, frontiers in fundamental research, and emerging interdisciplinary fields, Tianjin University actively promotes interdisciplinary exploration and continues to improve its mechanisms for cross-disciplinary collaboration, advancing organized integration across science, engineering, the humanities, and medicine.
The University led the establishment of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), one of the first 14 national “2011 Collaborative Innovation Centers.” Its National Innovation Platform for Industry–Education Integration in Energy Storage Technology was also approved among China’s first national platforms in this field.
The University established the Tianjin University Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, initially comprising six sub-centers focusing on energy-storage technology, intelligent construction and safety, medicine–engineering integration, intelligence+, cultural heritage conservation, and applied mathematics. In November 2024, Tianjin University was officially approved as a pilot institution for the Ministry of Education’s interdisciplinary center initiative. The University continues to deepen the integration of medicine and engineering and currently has 13 affiliated hospitals and medical centers.
Tianjin University has strong research capabilities. Guided by the national strategy of addressing global scientific frontiers, the main economic battlefield, major national needs, and people’s health, the University continues to strengthen organized scientific research and has achieved a series of major breakthroughs.
It has been approved to establish 19 national-level research platforms, including the Large-Scale Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Facility, the Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology, and the Tianjin Bohai Rim Coastal Earth Critical Zone National Observation and Research Station.
Since 2011, the University has received 31 National Science and Technology Awards and has undertaken 203 projects under the National Key Research and Development Program of China. Major research achievements include the synthesis of long yeast chromosomes, theories and methodologies for compound-cycle internal combustion engines, the Haiyan hybrid-driven underwater glider, intelligent simulation and construction technologies for hydraulic engineering, and brain–computer interface chips.
The University’s national research infrastructure includes 1 National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure facility, 11 National Key Laboratories, 5 National Engineering Research Centers or National Engineering Technology Research Centers, and 3 International Science and Technology Cooperation Bases of the Ministry of Science and Technology. In addition, the University hosts 142 key research platforms at the provincial and ministerial levels, including key laboratories supported by the Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipality.
Tianjin University is committed to open and globally oriented education and continues to deepen international cooperation in all areas. It has established partnerships with 260 universities, research institutes, and companies across 50 countries and regions.
The University has taken the lead in developing the China–ASEAN Alliance of Engineering Universities, established the China–ASEAN Smart Ocean Education Center and the APEC Sustainable Energy Center, and jointly established a Micro/Nano Manufacturing Center with University College Dublin. In collaboration with the Embassy of France in China, it established the Sino-French Center for Cultural Heritage and Urban Studies in Tianjin. A national research center focusing on humanities and talent development under the Belt and Road Initiative is also based at Tianjin University, which has additionally established the Institute for Global South Studies.
The University has successfully established two non-independent legal-entity Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions in partnership with the University of Liverpool and the University of Reading, namely the Tianjin University–University of Liverpool Joint Institute in Fuzhou and the Tianjin University–University of Reading Henley International Institute, marking the initial formation of its “1+3+N” international cooperative education framework.
Tianjin University promotes joint doctoral supervision and deeper integration among scientific research, technological innovation, industrial development, and regional economic growth. It continues to strengthen the internationalization of talent development, with 11 academic programs receiving international professional accreditation. Over the past five years, 744 students have been selected for government-sponsored overseas study programs, with 51.21% studying at universities ranked among the QS global top 100. The University has also sent 60 students to institutions including the United Nations Office at Geneva for internships and professional training.
In implementing the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, the University formulated and launched the Tianjin University International Student Education 2030 Action Plan. Significant progress has been made in international student recruitment, education, management, national conditions education, and international Chinese-language education. The number of international degree students has exceeded 2,100, and Tianjin University has received the highest A+ rating in China’s higher-education quality accreditation for international students.
The School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology was selected for the first group of China’s Internationalization Demonstration School Program for Higher Education Institutions. Tianjin University is also a Chinese-language education base of the State Council and a preparatory education base of the Ministry of Education. Overseas, it established the Confucius Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, which has been recognized as an Advanced Confucius Institute.