Address: 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, 300072 Tianjin, Tianjin, China
Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Tianjin University traces itself to Peiyang University, whose founding was approved by the Guangxu Emperor on 2 October 1895 and which the university presents as the first modern university in China. The official Sheng Xuanhuai proposed the university, and the American educator Charles Daniel Tenney became its first provost. German troops occupied its buildings in 1900, and the school was rebuilt at the Xigu arsenal in Tianjin in 1903.
The Japanese invasion of Tianjin in 1937 forced the university to migrate west, and it returned to its original site in 1946. In 1951 Peiyang University and Hebei Technical College combined into Tianjin University. Between 1952 and 1958 engineering departments from eight other universities, among them Nankai University, were merged into it. The Peiyang Park campus opened in 2015, in addition to the Weijin Road campus.
At the end of 2021 the university counted 18,955 undergraduates, 13,707 master’s students, 5,822 doctoral students and more than 2,000 international degree students, supported by 4,855 faculty and staff. It reports 13 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering and 6 National Key Laboratories. ShanghaiRanking placed it 98th in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and its chemical engineering came second and civil engineering 13th in the 2026 subject ranking.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Signal Processing, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Member of Excellence League (E9). Partnerships with major chemical and construction industries.
Research:
Advanced Chemical Processes, Sustainable Infrastructure, Precision Instruments & Opto-electronics, Energy & Environmental Engineering.
Famous Alumnis:
Ma Yinchu
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2800
Current students***:
35000
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
150000
Pros
Oldest modern university in China, strong in chemical and civil engineering, beautiful campus with historical architecture.
Cons
Located in Tianjin (industrial city), traditional academic focus.
Best For
First modern university in China, excelling in chemical and civil engineering.
Dalian University of Technology in Dalian is a public university with chemical, mechanical and civil engineering as main fields, the closest match to Tianjin's three headline engineering disciplines.
Hunan University in Changsha lists civil, mechanical and chemical engineering among the main fields of this public institution, a nearly identical trio.
Hebei University of Technology stands in Tianjin itself, a public university whose main fields include chemical engineering and technology and materials science and engineering.
Chongqing University, a public institution in Chongqing, joins mechanical and electrical engineering with architecture and civil engineering.
Tongji University in Shanghai is a public university strong in civil engineering, architecture and urban planning, and environmental science.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Kyushu University in Japan, a public university in Fukuoka, lists mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering among its main fields.
Tomsk Polytechnic University in Russia is a public technical university in Tomsk with power engineering, chemical engineering and materials as main fields.
Technische Universiteit Delft in the Netherlands is a public university in Delft whose main fields include aerospace and civil engineering.
Technische Universität Dortmund in Germany, a public university in Dortmund, pairs production and logistics with chemical and bioengineering.
University of Delaware in the United States is public, based in Newark, and lists chemical engineering first among its main fields, matching Tianjin's best-ranked subject.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
What was Peiyang University and who set it up?
Peiyang University was the name under which the institution began in 1895, after the Guangxu Emperor approved the proposal on 2 October. Sheng Xuanhuai proposed it, and the American educator Charles Daniel Tenney became its first provost.
How did the Second World War affect the university?
After the Japanese invasion of Tianjin in 1937 it migrated west. It returned to its original location at Xigu in Tianjin in 1946.
Which campuses does the university use?
The Weijin Road campus covers about 1,362,000 square metres and the Peiyangyuan campus about 2,436,000 square metres, and there is also the Binhai Industrial Research Institute. The Weijin Road address is 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin.
How many degree programmes are offered?
At the end of 2021 the university listed 74 undergraduate programmes, 47 master's and 34 doctoral level-one disciplines, and 37 postdoctoral programmes. Students numbered 18,955 undergraduates, 13,707 master's and 5,822 doctoral students.
Where does it rank in individual subjects?
The 2026 ShanghaiRanking subject results place chemical engineering second, instruments science and technology tenth, marine and ocean engineering tenth, energy science and engineering twelfth and civil engineering 13th. The university as a whole was 98th in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
What research facilities does it report?
It lists 6 National Key Laboratories, 5 National Engineering (Technology) Research Laboratories and 3 International Cooperation Centers for Science and Technology of China. Among its faculty are 67 recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.
How can international students find out about admission?
More than 2,000 international degree students were enrolled at the end of 2021. Entry requirements, tuition and scholarship details are published by the university on tju.edu.cn and should be checked there for each programme.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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