XHU was founded on April 16, 2003 when Sichuan University of Science and Technology (Chinese: 四川工业学院) and the Teacher's College merged.

The Sichuan University of Science and Technology, previously called the Sichuan Mechanical College of Agriculture (Chinese: 四川农业机械学院), was founded in 1960.

The former Teacher's College, located in Peng Zhou County, was founded in 1971.

Xihua University covers about 2,850 mu (469.5 acres) in the hi-tech zone of Chengdu.

The campus has a tributary of the Ming Jiang River and the Ancient Irrigation Project—Du Jiangyan, and its national scenery zone is to the west.