Established in 1875, it is one of Japan's oldest private institutions of higher learning, and has approximately 30,000 students enrolled on four campuses in Kyoto.

As a young man, Niijima left Japan for the United States in 1864, despite the ban on overseas travel then imposed on Japanese nationals.

Other early university presidents included educator and author Yamamoto Kakuma (1890–1892), Seito Saibara (1899–1902), who was the first Christian member of the Japanese Diet, Kenkichi Kataoka (1902–1904),[3] and prominent chemical engineer Kotaro Shimomura (1904–1907).

During World War II, its buildings were given Japanese names and its curriculum was stripped of its pro-Western elements.

Five buildings in the Imadegawa campus have been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, including Doshisha Chapel and Clark Memorial Hall.

According to the 2011 university rankings by Toyo Keizai, 533 alumni served as executives in listed companies.

[18] Doshisha alumni include Takako Doi, the first female Lower House Speaker in Japan (the highest position a female politician has held in the country's history); Abe Isoo, an early pacifist and feminist and member of the Japanese Diet; Japanese statesman Uchida Kosai, who twice served as acting prime minister; Japanese-language author David Zoppetti; Korean poet Yun Dong-ju; tea master Hansō Sōshitsu; and Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy.