Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) is a national key university directly administered by the Ministry of Education, jointly supported by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Transport, the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. It is an active contributor in China's “211 Project”, "985 Innovative Platforms for Strength Disciplines in Engineering” and "Double First-class Project".

BJTU, as one of the three origins of the Jiaotong Universities, traces its history to 1896 when the Qing dynasty government established the Railway Management Institute as the first higher education institution in China, dedicated to cultivating management professionals. It became the cradle of modern railway management and telecommunication education in China. In 1917, it was restructured into Beijing Railway Management School and Beijing Post and Telecommunication School, and in 1921, it merged with Shanghai Industrial College and Tangshan Industrial College to form the National Jiaotong University. After reorganization in 1923, the institution was renamed Beijing Jiaotong University. In 1950, it was designated as Northern Jiaotong University, with its name inscribed by Chairman Mao Zedong and renowned bridge expert Mao Yisheng serving as its president. Renamed Beijing Railway Institute in 1952, it reverted to Northern Jiaotong University in 1970. In 2000, it merged with Beijing Electric Power College and transitioned from the Ministry of Railways to direct administration under the Ministry of Education. The current name, Beijing Jiaotong University, was officially reinstated in 2003.

BJTU has two campuses situated in the renowned education sector of Haidian district, Beijing， the East and the West campuses, covering nearly one thousand acres and have the building floorage of more than 1 million square meters. Weihai International College of over one thousand acres in Weihai, Shandong Province, distinguishing itself as a special campus dedicated to Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools (CFCRS). All campuses equipped with sophisticated teaching and research facilities enjoy beautiful scenery and pleasant campus environment. The university also established the Haibin Rail Transit Comprehensive Research and Development Base in Huanghua, Hebei Province, the world-leading Fengtai Rail Transit 'Industry-Academia-Research-Application' Integrated Innovation Base in Fengtai District, Beijing, and the Tangshan Research Institute of Beijing Jiaotong University in Tangshan, Hebei Province, dedicated to developing a demonstration zone for technology R&D, commercialization of scientific findings, and international education, the Shenzhen Research Institute and the Yangtze River Delta Research Institute contributed significantly to the mining of social resources and to the promotion of talent cultivation and research. The Xiong'an Campus's massive construction has now begun, signaling the start of a new stage in the university's coordinated multi-campus system development.

Over the past 120 years, the university has established a comprehensive and coordinated education system with strength disciplines in information and management, characteristic disciplines in transportation, and other diversified disciplines such as engineering, management, economics, science, liberal arts, law, and philosophy. The university is home to 21 schools, including the School of Automation and Intelligence, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, School of Computer Science and Information Technology, School of Economics and Management, School of Traffic and Transportation, School of Civil Engineering, School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, School of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Physical Science and Engineering, School of Languages and Communication Studies, School of Software Engineering, School of Marxism, School of Architecture and Design, Law School, School of Environment, School of Systems Science, School of Cyberspace Science Technology, Jeme Tienyow Honors College, National School of Elite Engineers and Weihai International College.

The university boasts robust disciplinary strength with continuous advancement in academic development. The first phase of the "Double First-Class" initiative was completed with exceptional quality, achieving remarkable progress in the "Smart Transportation" discipline. The new phase of "Double First-Class" construction is now being vigorously implemented. In globally recognized disciplinary rankings, the university has steadily ascended: 15 disciplines are listed in the Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, with Traffic and Transportation Engineering securing the world's top position six times; 17 disciplines are ranked in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities; 12 disciplines feature in the QS World University Rankings by Subject; 24 disciplines are included in the Shanghai Ranking's China Best Disciplines, where Traffic and Transportation Engineering and Systems Science consistently rank first nationally. Additionally, 8 disciplines are within the top 1% of ESI global rankings, with Engineering and Computer Science entering the top 1‰. The university hosts 17 postdoctoral research stations and 1 workstation. It offers 21 first-level doctoral programs, 7 doctoral professional degree categories, 33 first-level master's programs, and 19 master's professional degree categories.

The university prioritizes the development of a high-caliber faculty as the cornerstone for enhancing educational competitiveness, actively implementing a strategy of strengthening the institution through talent advancement. Currently, there are 3,296 full-time employees, including 2,113 dedicated faculty members (1,475 holding associate senior professional titles or higher, and 2,035 possessing master's degrees or above). The academic community comprises 2 Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 8 recipients of the National Teaching Master honor, 6 members of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee under the State Council, 84 scholars recognized through national talent programs, and 2 individuals awarded the "Four Batch" Talent distinction by the Publicity Department.

The university has consistently adhered to the fundamental mission of fostering virtue through education, achieving remarkable results in pedagogical reforms and development, and cultivating vast talent for national and industrial advancement. The institution currently enrolls 3,489 doctoral students, 10,712 master’s students, 17,105 undergraduates, 1,867 international students (annual total), and 5,179 adult education students. In recent evaluations of teaching achievements, the university secured 2 national first-class prizes and 7 second-class prizes for undergraduate education, 1 national first-class prize and 1 second-class prize for postgraduate education, and 1 first-class prize along with 2 second-class prizes in the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Association’s postgraduate education awards. As a pioneer institution selected for the Ministry of Education’s “Project 101” pilot program, the university has established a national-level foundational disciplines elite training base in Computer Sciences and a nationally recognized exemplary School of Software Engineering. It boasts 47 national first-class undergraduate programs, 11 national specialty programs, 7 national comprehensive reform pilot programs, and 8 national “Outstanding Engineer Education and Training” programs. Additionally, 13 programs have passed Engineering Education Professional Certification, 3 passed civil engineering and architecture program evaluations, and 3 were designated as innovative international talent training projects under the China Scholarship Council. The university operates 6 national experimental teaching demonstration centers, 3 national virtual simulation teaching centers, 3 national virtual simulation teaching projects, 3 national off-campus practical education bases, 7 national engineering practice education centers, and a national teacher development center. Three postgraduate joint training bases were honored as “National Exemplary Engineering Postgraduate Training Bases.” Academic excellence is reflected in 67 national first-class undergraduate courses, 25 national open resource-sharing courses, 6 national open video courses, 4 premier national textbook compilations, and 1 strategic emerging field textbook development team under the 14th Five-Year Plan. The university has implemented 248 industry-academia collaborative education projects, with 3 recognized as exemplary cases. Through initiatives like the “Plateau and Peak” Elite Talent Development Plan and the Jeme Tienyow Honors College’s integrated undergraduate-postgraduate training model, the university cultivates leading researchers in foundational disciplines and innovators in strategic fields. Its “To Know and To Do” industry-academia program addresses national priorities by training outstanding engineering talent. Having passed the 2024 first-tier national undergraduate education evaluation, the university maintains a graduate employment rate above 95%, with over 70% of undergraduates pursuing advanced studies. It is among the first institutions designated as a national innovation and entrepreneurship education base, a national model for innovation, and a national exemplary graduate employment institution. Cultural initiatives like the student-performed The Long March Cantata and original drama Mao Yisheng serve as impactful ideological education platforms. The university excels in athletics, with elite and general student teams earning 7 national championships, 7 runner-ups, and 3 third-place finishes in 2024, alongside 38 Beijing municipal championships, 35 second places, and 41 third places.

The university has consistently aligned with the frontiers of technological advancements and major national strategic needs. It has actively participated in landmark events of China's rail transit development, including railway speed-up initiatives, the Qinghai-Xizang Railway construction, the Da-Qin Heavy-haul Railway project, maglev train technology, high-speed rail systems, the Sichuan-Xizang Railway development, and the independent R&D of core urban rail transit technologies. These efforts have yielded a series of groundbreaking achievements with full independent intellectual property rights and international competitiveness. The university has significantly contributed to advancing transportation, logistics, information technology, new energy sectors, and Beijing’s socio-economic development, solidifying its role as a pivotal force in national, industrial, and regional scientific innovation. The university hosts 78 provincial- and ministerial-level research platforms, including 9 national-level entities such as the National Key Laboratory of Advanced Rail Autonomous Operation, the National Engineering Research Center for Rail Transit Operation and Control Systems, National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Mobile Networks，Frontier Science Center for Smart High-Speed Railway Systems，Collaborative Innovation Center for Rail Transit Safety，National High-End Think Tank for Sustainable Transportation Innovation，National Research Center for Railway Safety Assessment，National Base for International Science and Technology Cooperation. Additionally, it manages 69 provincial and ministerial platforms, including Key Laboratories and Engineering Research Centers of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of the Transportation Industry, Laboratory of the Beijing Municipality, Beijing Municipal Engineering Research Center, Capital High-end Think Tank "Beijing Jiaotong University Comprehensive Transportation Development Institute", Beijing Jiaotong University Research Base of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping’s Theories on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, Beijing Municipal Research Base for Philosophy and Social Sciences, Beijing Universities Innovation Center for Philosophy and Social Sciences, and Ministry of Education Center for Country and Regional Studies. As a pilot unit for the Ministry of Transport’s Transportation Power Initiative and Vice-Chair of the Transport New Think Tank Alliance, the university organizes high-profile forums such as the China Transportation Leaders Forum, the Beijing Transportation Development Forum, and international conferences like LISS and IEIS. The campus-wide gigabit network infrastructure, coupled with comprehensive wired and wireless coverage, supports cutting-edge applications in high-performance computing, big data, AI, and 5G. Teaching and research equipment assets of 1.84 billion yuan. The library holds 17.714 million physical and digital resources, including a specialized transportation database, and operates a Ministry of Education-authorized scientific novelty search station and a national intellectual property information service center.

The university regards enhanced cooperation and exchange as a crucial pathway to elevate its academic standards. In active response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, it has established partnerships with 273 universities and institutions across 52 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. The university actively promotes Chinese culture through initiatives such as the Confucius Institute in Campinas, Brazil. It has spearheaded the creation of the Global Alliance of Universities on Sustainable Transport and joined international organizations including the International Union of Railways, the Organization for Railway Cooperation, and the China-CEEC Higher Education Institutions Consortium. As a leading member of alliances such as the China-Russia Transportation University Presidents’ Alliance, the China-ASEAN Rail Transit Education and Training Alliance, and the Alliance of Universities for High-Speed Railway, the university continues to strengthen its global influence and discourse power in rail transit. The university has advanced international research collaboration by establishing joint high-speed rail research centers with the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia. Leveraging its alumni associations, foundation, and board of trustees, it has forged strategic partnerships with nearly 400 enterprises in transportation, information technology, energy, and innovation sectors, including 85 board member entities. With 65 alumni branches worldwide, the Beijing Jiaotong University Education Foundation has been recognized as a 4A-level social organization for its exemplary governance.

"Remember the source when drinking water, love thy nation and honor the alma mater." Guided by the motto “To Know and To Do”, Beijing Jiaotong University is embracing new missions and forging ahead with a pioneering spirit to establish itself as a world-class institution with distinctive features.