Tianjin University

Tianjin University, known in Chinese as Tianda, was founded as Peiyang University on October 2, 1895. It was China’s first modern university and pioneered modern higher education in China. Following China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, it was established in Tianjin with the Guangxu Emperor’s personal vermilion approval, under the principle that “self-strengthening depends on cultivating talent, and cultivating talent begins with establishing schools.” Sheng Xuanhuai was its first superintendent. Originally called Peiyang University School, it comprised a first-level school for undergraduate education and a second-level school for university preparation. The undergraduate school offered four fields: law, engineering, mining and machinery.

Since its founding, the university has upheld its mission of “strengthening the nation through education,” its motto “Seek Truth from Facts,” its rigorous scholarly ethos, its patriotic tradition of service and its determination to innovate. It has made outstanding contributions to national economic and social development and trained over 300000 high-level professionals for the country and society. Through the sustained efforts of teachers and students, it has become a high-level research university with a strong faculty, distinctive disciplines, first-class teaching and research in China and substantial international influence.

The university has Weijin Road Campus, Peiyang Park Campus and Binhai Industrial Research Institute Campus, covering 1.2885 million, 2.436 million and 309000 square meters respectively. It has 41755 full-time students: 19422 undergraduates, 15162 master’s students and 7171 doctoral students. It has 5020 faculty and staff, including 12 academicians, 411 nationally recognized talents and 1087 professors.

The university centers on student development and cultivates outstanding people with commitment to family and country, a global outlook, an innovative spirit and practical abilities who can lead the future. It uses Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to guide education and advances comprehensive talent training reforms in “all-person, whole-process and all-round education” and the simultaneous development of five areas of education. As chair of the national New Engineering development working group, it proposed the New Engineering “Tianjin University Action,” was the first in China to publish and subsequently update a New Engineering “Tianjin University Plan,” and leads the development of the International Alliance for New Engineering Education and the National Innovation Center for New Engineering Education. It received 1 special prize and 2 first prizes in the 2022 National Teaching Achievement Awards, with its total number of awards ranking first nationwide. It has 10 National Distinguished Teacher Award recipients, 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 Students in Basic Disciplines Training Program 2.0,” 8 national “Strong Foundation Program” subjects, 8 National Outstanding Textbook Awards and 1 nationally recognized outstanding individual in textbook development. It has 10 national experimental zones for innovative talent training and 4 national model joint training bases for professional degree postgraduate students. It has received approval for a National School of Elite Engineers and was selected among the first institutions to develop schools of future technology, national industry-education integration innovation platforms for energy storage technology and national innovation and entrepreneurship colleges. It is also a national pilot university for comprehensive doctoral education reform, one of the first institutions authorized to independently review degree authorizations, one of the first pilots for reform in training engineering master’s and doctoral students, one of the first pilots for the “National Outstanding Teacher Program,” and one of the first universities in the “green channel” for doctoral dissertation sampling inspections. It has formed a complete talent training chain covering scientific research, industry-education integration, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Four fields—energy storage technology, new materials, biomedical devices and integrated circuits—have been approved for special programs to train urgently needed high-level talent. At least 70.05% of graduates choose to build their careers in nationally important industries, fields, organizations and regions.

Following the development philosophy of “strengthening engineering, deepening science, revitalizing humanities, developing medicine and interdisciplinary integration,” the university optimizes its disciplinary environment to meet national needs. It has developed a comprehensive structure with clear engineering strengths, combined science and engineering, and coordinated development in economics, management, literature, law, medicine, education and arts. Its “5+X+Y” First-Class Discipline Action Plan covers first-class disciplines, disciplines being cultivated toward first-class status, and emerging interdisciplinary fields. It prioritizes clustered development of established and developing first-class disciplines, lays out future-oriented frontier disciplines and supports strong disciplines to build first-class clusters. It has 77 undergraduate programs, 53 first-level master’s degree authorizations, 43 first-level doctoral degree authorizations and 40 postdoctoral research stations. Eighteen fields rank in the ESI top 1%, including 5 in the top 1‰; engineering, chemistry and materials science are in the top 0.1‰. Its latest QS world ranking has risen to 257th, or 12th in China. Architecture and the built environment, art history and chemical engineering rank among the world’s top 50. Five disciplines have been selected for the Ministry of Education’s teaching reform “101 Program.” The university has also been selected for the national model project for developing first-class cybersecurity schools.

Addressing national strategic needs, frontiers of basic research and emerging interdisciplinary fields, the university advances interdisciplinary exploration and practice through multiple approaches. It continually improves the mechanisms for interdisciplinary work and systematically promotes integration of science, engineering, humanities and medicine. The Tianjin Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, established under its leadership, became one of the first 14 national “2011 Collaborative Innovation Centers.” Its National Industry-Education Integration Innovation Platform for Energy Storage Technology was approved among the first national energy storage platforms. It established the Tianjin University Interdisciplinary Center, initially developing 6 sub-centers: energy storage technology, intelligent construction and safety, medicine-engineering integration, “Intelligence+,” cultural heritage conservation, and applied mathematics. In November 2024, Tianjin University was formally approved as a Ministry of Education pilot university for interdisciplinary center development. It continues to deepen medicine-engineering integration and has 13 affiliated hospitals and medical centers.

The university has strong research capabilities. Focusing on the “four orientations,” it strengthens organized research and has achieved substantial results. It has received approval to develop 19 national research platforms, including a major national scientific infrastructure facility for large-scale earthquake engineering simulation, a Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology and the Tianjin Bohai Coastal Critical Zone National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station. Since 2011, it has received 31 national science and technology awards and approval for 203 National Key R&D Program projects. Its high-level achievements include long yeast chromosome synthesis, theory and methods of compound-cycle internal combustion engines, the “Haiyan” hybrid-driven underwater glider, intelligent simulation and construction of hydraulic engineering, and brain-computer interface chips. It has 1 major national scientific infrastructure facility, 11 state key laboratories, 5 national engineering or technology research centers, 3 Ministry of Science and Technology international science and technology cooperation bases, and 142 provincial or ministerial key research platforms, including Ministry of Education and Tianjin key laboratories.

The university maintains a globally open approach and deepens international exchanges and cooperation in all areas. It has partnerships with 260 universities, research institutes and companies in 50 countries and regions. It leads the China-ASEAN Alliance of Engineering Universities and has established a China-ASEAN Smart Ocean Education Center and an International Energy Cooperation Organization—APEC Sustainable Energy Center. It jointly develops a micro- and nanomanufacturing center with University College Dublin and a Sino-French Center for Cultural Heritage and Urban Studies in Tianjin with the French Embassy in China. It hosts the National Belt and Road Research Center for Cultural and Talent Development and has established an Institute for Global South Studies. Its two cooperative institutions without independent legal-person status, Tianjin University-University of Liverpool Fuzhou Joint School and Tianjin University-University of Reading Henley International School, have been approved, marking the initial formation of its “1+3+N” Sino-foreign cooperative education structure. It promotes joint doctoral training with dual supervisors and deep integration of research, technology and industrial economic development to support regional industries. It strengthens international talent training, with 11 programs internationally accredited. Implementing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s congratulatory message for the 50th anniversary of China-Malaysia diplomatic relations, it formulated and implemented the “Tianjin University Action Plan for International Student Education in China 2030.” International student admissions, education, management, education about China and international Chinese language education have improved significantly in standard and effectiveness. It has at least 2100 international degree students and received A+, the highest rating in quality accreditation for higher education of international students in China. Its School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology was selected for the first national “Program to Promote Model Internationalized University Schools.” The university is a State Council Chinese language and culture education base and a Ministry of Education preparatory education base. Its Confucius Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia, has been named an “Advanced Confucius Institute” globally.