Tsinghua University, located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing, was established in 1911 on the site of "Qing Hua Yuan" - a former royal garden of the Qing Dynasty. Funded with part of the "Boxer Indemnity", it was at first a preparatory school called "Tsinghua Xuetang" for those students who were sent by the government to study in the United States.

In 1925, a university section was established, offering a four－year program for students. In 1928, its name was changed to "National Tsinghua University", and in the autumn of 1929 a graduate school was set up.

Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University merged to form the Southwest Associated University in Kunming. After the war, Tsinghua University moved back to the original campus in Beijing and resumed operation at its present location.

Three years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, a nationwide restructuring of institutes of higher education was initiated, and in 1952, Tsinghua University became a multidisciplinary polytechnic university with an emphasis on training engineers.

Since 1978, Tsinghua University has gradually restored such disciplines as science, economic management, humanities and law. In 1999, Tsinghua opened the School of Arts by merging with the Central Academy of Arts and Design of China. Tsinghua University has become a comprehensive, research-intensive university with disciplines of sciences, engineering, literature, arts, history, philosophy, sociology, journalism, economics, management, law, pedagogy and medicine. At present, the university consists of 13 schools and 54 departments.

In less than 100 years, Tsinghua University has witnessed and shared the hardships and glories of the nation. The university's motto of "Self-discipline and Social Commitment" has inspired many generations of Tsinghua University teachers and students to struggle for the prosperity of China. Now, striving to build Tsinghua University into a world-class university by its 100th anniversary in 2011 has become the objective of each member of the teaching staff and the student body.