The school was affiliated with the Tongji-Hospital the German physicians had established in Shanghai on the initiative of Paulun.

[note 1] Tongji became one of the first universities authorized by the State Council to establish a graduate school.

In 1995, the university became one to be jointly supported by the State Education Commission and the Shanghai Municipal Government.

The merger was acknowledged by the State Council as "Tongji Model" in the system renovation of higher institutions in China.

[5] The university now registers over 50,000 students at all levels from certificate and diploma courses to Bachelor's Degrees, Master's, Ph.D. programs and post doctoral attachments.

The university offers diverse courses in its 81 Bachelor's degrees, 151 Masters, 58 PhD programs and 13 post doctoral mobile stations.

It has established links with Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Spain,[8] Switzerland, UK and USA in the fields of education, science, technology and economics.

A number of international joint programs have been established between the university and its counterparts in other countries in recent years.

[citation needed] Tongji University is titled the State-level Garden Unit for Excellent Afforestation.

[34] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 placed Tongji 154th worldwide and 11th in China.