A key comprehensive university under direct administration of the State Ministry of Education, Sichuan University is incorporated from three national key universities, namely, the former Sichuan University, Chengdu University of Science and Technology (CUST) and West China University of Medical Science (WCUMS).

The former Sichuan University was one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in China. It was a cradle of talented people with fine academic traditions. The former Sichuan University was a key comprehensive university under direct administration of the State Ministry of Education, with respectable disciplines in liberal arts, history, mathematics, and biology. With a history of 40-odd years, the former CUST experienced a rapid development and was a key university of technologies under direct administration of the State Ministry of Education, with celebrated disciplines in materials, energy, chemical industry and light industry. The former WCUMS had a long history and developed an international reputation, and it was a comprehensive key medical university, under direct administration of the Ministry of Public Health, with reputable disciplines in dentistry, biomedicine, preclinical medicine, clinical medicine and stomatology, among which dentistry is the cradle of modern stonatology of our country. The three universities are now incorporated in the current Sichuan University, the largest comprehensive university with the most extensive disciplines in Southwest China.

Sichuan University is situated in Chengdu, a cultural and historic city and the Land of Abundance, with Wangjiang, Huaxi and Jiang'an campuses. The university occupies an area of 250 hectares with a total floor space of 1.8 million square meters, and a newly-added area of 167 hectares. The Jiang'an campus is now under speedy construction. The campuses are set in pleasing environments of green plants, lawns and trees. In the past 100-odd years, Sichuan University has been an ideal place for academic studies and researches, and formed its glorious revolutionary tradition and fine academic atmosphere. Zhang Lan and Wu Yuzhang used to be president of the university which trained a large number of notable Chinese statesmen, generals, scientists, medical doctors, and men of letters, including Zhu De, Guo Moruo, Ba Jin and Liu Chengzhao.

Sichuan University offers courses in nine major fields of study including humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical sciences. There are 102 undergraduate programs, 160 Master programs (besides 4 point conferring Master degrees in MBA, law, engineering and clinical medicine), 12 first-class disciplines, 100 doctoral programs, and 17 postdoctoral points. The university currently has 7 key disciplines, 14 disciplines listed in the State 211 Project, 7 state key and specialized laboratories, and 5 national bases for training the talented people and curriculum development. In addition, there are other 200-odd research institutes on campus.

The University has a current total of 12,000 faculties and staff, including over 900 professors (with research fellows and chief medical doctors), 5 academicians of the Academia Sinica and the Academy of Engineering of China, 10 members of the State Council Academia Degree Committee and Specialized Degree Committees, and 328 tutors of doctor student. Its student population reaches 42,000, including 23,000-odd undergraduate students, 5,600-odd graduate students (including 1,200 doctor students), and 200-odd foreign students. Since 1949, the university has trained over 100,000 students with of above undergraduate degree.

Sichuan University Library has a collection of 4.3 million books, serving as the Information Center of Liberal Arts under the State Ministry of Education as well as the Information Center of Sciences and Researches for Institutions of Higher Learning. The University Museum is the only comprehensive museum in Chinese universities and colleges, with a collection of over 40,000 items. The Zoological Specimen Room and the Botanical Specimen Room collect over 600,000 specimens, the number ranking in the front-most in Chinese universities and colleges. Other educational organs on campus are the campus web, the analytic and testing center, as well as information management, A/V instruction, Chinese programs to foreign students, national foreign language exam, and going-abroad student training organs. The university publishes 30 academic periodicals to domestic and foreign subscribers.

Today, the century-odd Sichuan University is undertaking the historical mission as a pioneer in educational reforms of China. The University will further its reform and development, inherit and display its fine academic tradition of "veracity and creativity", so as to make itself a first-class and worldwide-known comprehensive university. The university also will press forward in implementing the national strategies of "rejuvenating China by science" and the western development, and contributing its share to the thriving and prosperity of the nation.