Tongji University is one of the leading universities under the State Ministry of Education in the People’s Republic of China. It is also one of the first high-level research universities which have been approved to have their own graduate schools. As a state key university, it has also been included in the State Project 211 and the 21st Century Education Plan of China (No.985 program). The history of the university dates back to 1907. It has since grown to be a research, comprehensive, multi-functional modern university which always has nine classifications. They are sciences, engineering, medicine, liberal arts, law, economics, management, philosophy and pedagogy.

Tongji University has 21 schools and other colleges such as College of Continuing Education, Institute of High Technology, Institute of Vocational and Technical Education, College of E-education and etc. There are also joint programs such as Tongji-German Institute approved by both Chinese government and German government to train the master degree candidates, Sino-German College of Applied Science, Sino-French Institute of Engineering and Management which is cooperatively established by Tongji University and Paris High-tech Group of France. Tongji University offers 81 undergraduate programs, 140 Master degree programs, 7 professional Master Degree programs and 58 PhD programs. There are 13 postdoctoral mobile stations and 10 state key laboratories in the university. The university has a total student enrollment of more than 50,000, a teaching and research staff of 4200, among which 1900 have either senior professional or academic titles. There are six academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and seven academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. As one of the state key research centers, the university has 16 state key laboratories and engineering research centers. There are five hospitals and three middle schools affiliated with the university.

In recent years Tongji University was exploring and gradually forming an idea with it own characteristics of having the modern educational thought and running a school.  This idea is that regarding the undergraduate education as the foundation of setting up the university while the graduate education as the way to strengthen the school. Furthermore, it has established the overall quality-oriented education which combined “knowledge, ability and personality” together and compounding type personnel training mode. Tongji insists in the harmony development with the four functions as “Personnel training, scientific research, community service, international association” and try to strengthen the function of serving the society, therefore centralizing the functions of the university.  Regarding the development strategy of national science and technology and key demand of the regional economy as the indicator, Tongji University is promoting traditional discipline to a high and new level, strengthening the new developing discipline, centralizing and simplifying the cross disciplines, combining closely with industry chain, in order to form a discipline chain and discipline group which promotes advantage disciplines and combines weak disciplines together, in order to build up a discipline system of the comprehensive university. A lot of disciplines here rank the first place in China, such as the bridge engineering, marine geology, urban planning, structural engineering, road and traffic, vehicle engineering and environmental engineering etc.  During the process of making a contribution to national economic construction and social development, all the staffs should strive for more “Individual Event Champions” to promote the academic status and gain social reputation for the university. At present, Tongji University is trying to build a comprehensive, research and international famous high-level university with the unity and coherence in literature and science, medicine and engineering, science & technology education and humane education.  

The university has five existing campuses covering a total area of 246.667 hectares. The Siping campus is situated on Siping Road of Shanghai, the west campus on Zhennan Road of Shanghai, the east campus on Wudong Road whereas the north campus is on Gonghe Xin Road of Shanghai. The Jiading campus, a new campus under construction is located inside Anting Shanghai International Automotive City in Jiading, a suburban district of Shanghai.