Shantou University (STU) was founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council. It is a key comprehensive university under the "211 Project" in Guangdong Province and the only institution of higher education in the Chaoshan area to have provided tens of thousands of local residents with higher learning. Its campus covers a total land area of 1.28 km² with floor space comprising 406,000 m².

Since its inception, STU has benefited from the strong support and generous donations of Mr. Li Ka-shing, a distinguished international entrepreneur and social philanthropist. It is the only university in China that has received long-time funding from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. His donations to STU amount to over HK$ 3.3billion.

STU is also firmly supported by the Central, Provincial and Municipal authorities.Following two visits to the University, Comrade Jiang Zemin praised and encouraged the staff and students by telling them, "The mission is demanding and the Journey ahead is long." Other leaders of the Central Government including Hu Jintao, Li Peng, Qiao Shi, Li Ruihuan and Li Lanqing have also graced the University with their visits.

STU is striving hard to become a widely recognized, modern institution of higher education with unique strengths and an international atmosphere. Under the motto “Aspiration, Knowledge, Perseverance, Achievement,” the University has been undergoing a significant internationalization reform process since 2002 in order to cultivate talent. Through a series of visionary pedagogical reforms, it aims to offer a platform for the exploration of higher educational reform in China. Comrade Li Lanqing, a former member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, gave the University high praise calling it “the experimental zone for higher educational reform in China.”