Founded in 1978, Chengdu University (CDU) is one of the comprehensive degree-awarding higher education institutions firstly sponsored by local cities after the Reform and Opening Up. It implements a Provincial and Municipal co-administration but city-based university system. It is a key university in Sichuan Province and Chengdu City, and the host university of the Athletes' Village of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games Chengdu 2021. CDU has undergone several mergers. The history of its schooling can be traced back to the public Sichuan Superior Selective Teacher Training College in 1906 and the public Sichuan Provincial Women's Teacher Training College in 1911. It now has a 100-year history of Grade III Level A comprehensive affiliated hospital, and the Sichuan Industrial Institute of Antibiotics which is a national antibiotic research and development base. CDU has authority to award bachelor's and master's degrees, with a postdoctoral innovation practice base. It is a university under the "Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program" of the Ministry of Education (MOE), a special university for the MOE national defense education, a project unit for the construction of first-class undergraduate majors under the MOE "Shuangwan Plan", and a construction unit under the "Priority Cultivation" category of the progressive cultivation plan for doctoral construction units in Sichuan Province.

CDU always takes national revitalization and social progress as its responsibility, and adheres to the motto of "Self-love, Self-cultivation, Self-respect and Self-improvement". It carries forward the spirit of "Seeking Truth and Being Pragmatic, and Pursuing Self-improvement", and adheres to the ethos of "Cultivating Great Virtue with Elegance, and Making Great Achievements with Perseverance", and the service orientation of "Rooted in Chengdu, Facing the World and Serving the Society". CDU insists on internal development, reform and innovation, and quality improvement, focusing on cultivating high-quality applied talents, conducting high-level scientific research, providing high quality social services, and promoting cultural heritage and innovation for the society. It has been listed on the four most prestigious world university rankings. CDU is ranked among the top 1000 universities in the world, ranking 801st-1000th in the Times Higher Education World University rankings 2023 and 49th-95th in the ranking of universities in mainland China. It was listed for the first time in the QS Asia Regional University Rankings 2023, ranking 501st-550th, and 272nd in the East Asia Regional University Rankings, among the 128 universities in mainland China on the list. CDU was listed on the US News 2023 World University Rankings for the first time, ranking 1,519th in the world, 514th in Asia and 198th in mainland China. There are 16 universities in Sichuan Province on the list, and CDU is ranked 10th in the Province.