Southwest University was formed by the merger of Southwest Normal University directly under the former Ministry of Education and Southwest Agricultural University directly under the former Ministry of Agriculture in 2005. The original two schools were built adjacent to each other, with the same root and the same origin, and both of them can be traced back to the East Sichuan Normal School established by 1906.

1936 was renamed Sichuan Institute of Education. 1950, Sichuan Provincial Institute of Education merged with 1940 National Women's Teachers College and 1946 Private Xianghui College of Literature and Law to form Southwest Normal College and Southwest Agricultural College respectively. From 65438 to 0985, the two schools were renamed Southwest Normal University and Southwest Agricultural University respectively.

20 1 March official website shows that Southwest University has 1 national key laboratories, 1 national engineering technology research centers,1national key laboratory cultivation bases built by provincial departments, 10 key laboratories of Ministry of Education or Ministry of Agriculture, and 3 engineering research centers of Ministry of Education.

The "1 1 plan" includes three innovative intelligence introduction bases, two national field scientific observation experimental stations, two field observation experimental stations of the Ministry of Agriculture, two field bases of the Ministry of Land and Resources,1National University Science Park,1Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education and1.