Tongji University

Tongji University is a national public research university located in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of the Double First Class University Plan, Project 985, and Project 211.

The history of Tongji University can be traced back to 1907, when the German Medical School for the Chinese in Shanghai was founded by the German government together with the German physicians Erich Paulun, Oscar von Schab, and Paul Krieg.

The school was expanded to include engineering in its programs and got its new name as German Medical and Engineering School for the Chinese in Shanghai in 1912. It was formally established as a Chinese university under the name of Tongji University in 1923/1924 and was renamed as National Tongji University in 1927.

The name "Tongji" means "co-operation while in the same boat" in Chinese. It reflects the university's commitment to international cooperation and its mission to serve China.

In the early years, Tongji University was mainly a technical school. However, it gradually expanded its curriculum to include a wider range of disciplines, such as science, literature, and arts.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Tongji University played an important role in China's war effort against Japan. Many of its students and faculty members joined the Chinese army or worked in war-related industries.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Tongji University was one of the first universities to be designated as a key university by the Chinese government. It received significant funding from the government and expanded its programs and facilities rapidly.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Tongji University began to focus on developing its research capabilities. It established a number of new research institutes and centers, and its faculty members published a large number of papers in top international journals. Today, Tongji University is a leading research university in China.

Based on the QS World University Rankings of 2025, Tongji University is positioned as the #192 top university in the world, which makes it the #8 top university in China. The university's global rank is improved by 24 points from last year.