Established in 1951, Tianjin Medical College is a medical institution of higher education approved by the Chinese Government after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Its founder was Professor Chu Hsien-I, an internationally recognized endocrinologist and educationist. In June 1994, Tianjin Medical College and Tianjin Second Medical College merged to form Tianjin Medical University (TMU). In December 1996, TMU became the only local "211 Project" university in Tianjin. In October 2015, TMU became a university jointly developed by Tianjin Municipal People's Government, the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education. In September 2017, TMU was included in the "World First Class Discipline" development universities.

TMU has been actively engaged in the cause of medical higher education in China. It is one of the first two medical institutions in China approved to run an eight-year pilot program, and also one of the first 15 medical institutions approved to run a seven-year pilot program. At present, the university has 2 campuses on Qixiangtai Road and Guangdong Road and 7 university hospitals. TMU has 19 schools(department) and an independent school, with 22 undergraduate majors. A total of 10,912 students (doing full time undergraduate study or above) are studying in the university, among them 5,432 are undergraduates, 3,641 are Master's students, 948 are Ph.D students, with 891 international students doing their degrees.

With university hospitals included, TMU currently has 8,668 staff of various fields, including 772 senior staff and 1518 associate senior staff. There are 132 national talents, including 2 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 1 academician from overseas. There are 12 recipients of the National Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars and 9 recipients of the Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars. There are 8 national leading talents, 2 top-notch young talents, 15 “Yangtze Scholars” (Ministry of Education), 15 people selected for the National "Hundred Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Program", 4 "973" chief scientists (Ministry of Science and Technology), 17 experts with outstanding contributions (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security), 13 middle-aged and young experts with outstanding contributions (National Health Commission) and 18 people supported by “Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University” .

Currently, TMU has 11 national and 1 Tianjin municipal first-class discipline development points for undergraduate education, 5 national characteristic specialties, 1 national comprehensive reform pilot program, 2 national and 22 Tianjin municipal teaching teams, and 31 Tianjin municipal "Distinguished Teaching Masters". 5 teaching teams and 10 teachers were awarded "Tianjin Excellent Ideological and Political Teaching Team and Excellent Teacher in the Fight Against the Epidemic". There are 7 national signature courses, 5 national signature resource-sharing courses, 3 national signature public video courses, 3 national bilingual demonstration courses, 6 national first-class undergraduate courses, 38 Tianjin municipal first class undergraduate development courses and 10 Tianjin municipal ideological and political demonstration courses (excellent teams and teachers). TMU get 3 First National Teaching Material Development Awards, 1 Advanced Individual of National Teaching Material Development, and 6 excellent teaching materials of Tianjin municipal ideological and political courses. There are 3 national experimental areas for talent training mode innovation, 3 national experimental teaching demonstration centers, 2 national extracurricular innovation practice bases for university students, 2 national clinical teaching and training demonstration centers, and the virtual teaching and research office of medical imaging technology was selected as one of the first professional development of virtual teaching and research offices (Ministry of Education). In 2002 and 2008, TMU passed the evaluation of undergraduate teaching and seven-year medical education by the Ministry of Education with excellent results. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, TMU was accredited by the Ministry of Education in nursing, stomatology and clinical medicine respectively. In 2017, it passed the examination and evaluation of undergraduate education by the Ministry of Education. Since 2009, TMU has won 1 first prize and 3 second prizes for national teaching achievements, 12 first prizes and 15 second prizes for municipal teaching achievements. The International Medical School was established in 1997, responsible for the administration of international students. The students come from 105 countries. The scale and quality of its education are both at the front of the rank among medical universities in China. At present, TMU has 8 national and 25 municipal brand courses taught to international students in English. "The establishment and practice of teaching and quality assurance system for clinical medicine taught to international students in English" won the first prize of national teaching achievement. The first "Training Center for Medical Teachers Teaching International Students in English under the Ministry of Education" was established in TMU in 2010.

At present, TMU has 10 first level discipline doctoral degree authorization points with 2 doctoral professional degree authorization points; 11 first level discipline Master's degree authorization points with 6 Master's professional degree authorization points, 6 post-doctoral research stations, 431 doctoral supervisors and 1,300 Master supervisors.

Currently, TMU has 5 national key disciplines, 18 Tianjin municipal key disciplines, 4 Tianjin municipal first-class disciplines and 4 Tianjin municipal characteristic disciplines (groups); 8 disciplines entered the global top 1% of ESI, among them, Clinical Medicine entered the global top 1‰ of ESI. There are 23 provincial and ministerial key laboratories and 15 research institutes. Tianjin Medical Epigenetics Collaborative Innovation Center has been approved as a collaborative innovation center jointly developed by the province and the ministry. At present, there are 1 international science and technology cooperation base under the governance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, 13 international science and technology cooperation bases of Tianjin, 1 innovation team in key fields under the governance of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and 2 innovation teams under the governance of the Ministry of Education with rolling support. Since the "12th Five-Year Plan", TMU has undertaken 2,691 vertical projects at or above the provincial and ministerial level, with funds over 1.4 billion yuan. It has got 131 scientific and technological awards at provincial and ministerial level or above, including 1 Second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, 4 Excellent Achievement Award for Scientific Research of Higher Education (Ministry of Education), 1 He Liang He Li Award, 1 Major Achievement Award for Science and Technology (Tianjin), 1 International Science and Technology Cooperation Award (Tianjin), 3 Special Prizes and 22 First Prizes for Science and Technology Progress (Tianjin), and 1 First Prize of Tianjin Natural Science. In 2016, TMU was approved as Innovative Talent Training Demonstration Base by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

TMU’s hospitals have 13 national key clinical specialties and 16 municipal key clinical specialties. 4 university hospitals have been approved with 10 branch centers of National Clinical Medical Research Centers, among them, TMU Cancer Hospital is one of the first national clinical medical research centers for malignant tumors. TMU General Hospital, TMU Cancer Hospital, the Second Hospital of TMU, TMU Eye Hospital and the Mental Health Center have been approved with 11 Tianjin Clinical Medical Research Centers.

TMU has so far established cooperation with 98 universities and institutions from 26 countries and regions, conducted high-level international cooperation in medical and biomedical fields, conferred honorary or visiting professorships upon 160 world famous medical experts of various fields and established "Advisory Committee of Foreign Experts", thus further promoting internalization of the university.

TMU takes medical science as its core and life science as its support. It adheres to education and teaching as the foundation and scientific research as the way to strengthen itself. TMU endeavors to develop quality medical experts producing high level medical research outcomes, in a bid to provide society with quality medical services, and to cultivate and maintain characteristic university culture, with the aim to make it a high-level research-oriented medical institution.