Tianjin University is the first modern higher education institution in China and now a national university under the Ministry of Education of China's direct administration. It is a Chinese Ministry of Education Class A Double First Class University. It was established in 1895 as Imperial Tientsin University and later Peiyang University(or Beiyang). In 1951, after restructuring, it was renamed Tianjin University and became one of the largest multidisciplinary engineering universities in China. The university was one of the first 16 universities accredited by the nation in 1959. It is also among the first group of higher learning institutions in the national "211-Project" to which priority is given in construction. To carry out the "21st Century Education Revitalizing Action Plan", in late 2000, the Ministry of Education and Tianjin Municipality signed an agreement that aims to build Tianjin University into a 1st-class university in the world in the 21st century.
Although not confined to these areas, the university operates with a specific focus on engineering integrated with science, liberal arts, business and law. The student population is more than 30,000, with 57 bachelor programmes for undergraduates to choose from. It also offers 35 master’s degree programmes, 27 doctoral degree programmes, and 23 post-doctoral research programmes.
Some of the university's key facilities include four state-sponsored key laboratories, two national engineering laboratories, three state engineering research centres, and 68 provincial or ministerial key laboratories.
Tianjin’s Law School, which was the first in the country, collaborated with Peking University to support its development as a higher education institution. Tianjin also enjoys good relations with several other universities in the country and boasts 162 partner universities and institutions worldwide.
The university motto is ‘Seeking truth from facts’,. Its guideline is ‘Precise in learning, strict in teaching’ – commitments that are reflected in the many awards the university has accrued in recent years. In 2005, for example, Tianjin won awards for 50 of its research projects with three receiving the Top Ten Scientific and Technological Development Award among all Chinese Universities, while 435 of its projects have won awards at provincial and ministerial levels.
