Fu Jen Catholic University was founded in 1925 in Beijing by the Benedictines of St. Vincent Archabbey of Latrobe Pennsylvania, USA under the name Fu Jen Academy. In 1926 the name was changed to Fu Jen Catholic University. By 1929 the university already consisted of three colleges (Humanities, Natural Science and Education). In 1933, the administration of the university was transferred from the Benedictines to the Society of the Divine Word (SVD). In 1952, Fu Jen in Beijing was amalgamated into the Beijing Normal University.

Fu Jen was re-established in Taiwan, beginning with the Graduate School of Philosophy, in 1961. In 1963 Fu Jen Catholic University opened its Hsinchuang campus under the joint administration of the Chinese Diocesan Clergy, the Society of the Divine Word, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and the Society of Jesus. Currently Fu Jen has nine colleges (Humanities, Art, Medicine, Natural Sciences, Foreign Languages, Human Ecology, Law, Social Sciences and Management) as well as the School of Continuing Education, with a student body on the order of 23,000 students.