The Chiao Tung University was founded in 1896 under the name Nanyang College in Shanghai. During 1921, the college's four campuses, located in Shanghai, Peiping, and Wuson were combined into a single university and renamed Chiao Tung University. The University has continued to grow and there are four Jiao Tong Universities in China and one named Chiao-Tung University in Taiwan. The China campuses are located in Shanghai, Beijing, Xian and Cheng-Du. Hsinchu's Chiao Tung University was established in 1958 in Hsinchu, then the annexed science based industrial park is established in 1980. Over the last 45 years, the Chiao Tung University become center of academic excellence and has made significant contributions to the development of Information/ Communication/ Optoelectronics Sciences and Technology and to the world economy. Many of the corporate leaders of world famous companies like Acer, Leo, TSMC, UMC, Cadence, Avanti, and Trident etc. are Chiao Tung's graduates. Papers contributed to IEEE journals are highest in the world.

Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu has six colleges offering undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. degrees in Science, Engineering, Management, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (produces highest number of PH. D. and M. S. in Taiwan. They are now playing key roles in academic and business sectors such as UCLA, UICC, MIT, Cisco, IBM, Bell, etc.), Humanities and Social Sciences, and Biological Science and Technology. Within these colleges there are 18 departments, 36 graduate research institutes, and 20 degree programs for working professionals. Student enrolment currently stands at 10,500 with 5,500 graduate students and 5,000 undergraduates. The proportion of female students is moving towards an equal balance with male students and the number of foreign students is increasing since several graduate and undergraduate courses are offered in English.

Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu emphasizes research and teaching and the combination of science and technology with the humanities and arts. The University strives to create a balanced and harmonious environment for academic pursuits. The campus is rich in natural surroundings with forests, lakes, streams, and well designed with an art gallery, a concert hall, a media centre, and the best cyber library in Asia.