Huaqiao University is the first institution of higher education named after Huaqiao (Overseas Chinese). With the approval of former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1960, it was established in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, famous as the hometown of overseas Chinese. In 1983, HQU was granted as one of China's Prioritized Fostered Universities by Chinese Central Government. In 1997, the Jimei Overseas Chinese Tutoring School, located in Jimei School Village, Xiamen, Fujian Province, was incorporated into the university and renamed as the Chinese Language and Culture College. In 2003, the university was qualified as "Excellent" by the Ministry of Education in its first Undergraduate Teaching Performance Assessment. In 2006, Xiamen Campus of the university was officially launched. In 2017, HQU was selected into the construction plan of world-class universities and world-class disciplines (also named as Double First-Class Initiative) of Fujian Province.
HQU is directly under the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, and jointly constructed by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Fujian Provincial People's Government, the Quanzhou Municipal Government and the Xiamen Municipal Government. As a comprehensive university, it is also one of the pioneer universities adopting the directorate system. The school board consists of overseas Chinese, compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, overseas talents from various sectors and many other experts and leaders. Edmund Ho Hau-wah, the deputy chairman of CPPCC and the former chief executive of Macao SAR, served as the Board's honorary chairman. China’s state leaders Liao Chengzhi and Ye Fei, were respectively the first and the second president of Huaqiao University. The incumbent president, Xu Xipeng, has been listed as the Leading Talents in the National High-level Talents Special Support Plan (Ten Thousand Plan) and awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.