Sanctioned by the Ministry of Education of China, Shenzhen University was founded in 1983. The Central Government, the Ministry of Education, and the local government attached great importance to higher education in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The University has received support from Peking University forestablishing the School of Chinese Language and the School of Foreign Languages, from Tsinghua University for establishing the College of Electronic Science and the College of Architecture, and from the Renmin University of China for establishing the College of Economics and the Law School. Since its inception, the University has been committed to education reforms with regards to developing scholarship programs and work-study programs, adopting a modern academic credit system, providing students with a wider range of job opportunities, improving the quality of student services, and introducing a modern tenure-track system. Many reform policies have been recognized as breaking new ground on the scene of Chinese higher education.

Since its foundation 35 years ago, Shenzhen University has closely followed the pace of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and has been committed to reform and rapid development. The Universityadheres to the motto of "self-reliance, self-discipline, self-improvement" and strives to become "the Special Economic Zone University, the Window University, and the Experimental University." The University is committed to high-quality social service in the pursuit of excellence in teaching, learning, and research. It is a comprehensive university which offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs and provides leading-edge facilities and excellent services to students, faculty and staff. As a unique institution of higher learning in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the University promotes a distinctive and innovative campus culture. With the establishment of Chinese cultural and arts research centers such as the JaoTsung-I Institute of Culture Studies and the Liu Yuyi Institute of Fine Arts, the University seeks acute cultural self-awareness and cultural self-confidence, in the context of building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics that matches the international stature of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

The University has been fully committed to supporting research excellence. In 2017, the University budgeted more than one billion yuan in research. There were 281 new projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, ranking 23rd in China and 2nd in Guangdong Province, and 31 new projects supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China, ranking 37th in the country and 3rd in Guangdong Province. Our faculty published a total of 2,280 papers in SCI indexed journals and 202 papers in SSCI indexed journals, received 2,160 scientific research awards, and were granted 327 patents (including 211 invention patents). The Journal of Shenzhen University, Science and Engineering Edition has won the 4th China University Science and Technology Periodical Excellence Award, and the Journal of Shenzhen University, Social Sciences Edition is ranked 23rd in university journals in China with regards to the number of citations received.