In the 1970s, Taiwan's overall economic development took off, and society's attention and emphasis on higher education also increased daily. At that time, most of the important and well-known universities were concentrated in northern Taiwan, while there were no national universities in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung area of southern Taiwan. In order to balance the development of education in the north and south, the government decided to establish a comprehensive university in the south, and named it "National Sun Yat-sen University" in honor of the founding father of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The campus was located on the shore of Xizi Bay in Kaohsiung City, and it established 4 departments and 2 schools, and began enrolling students in the autumn of 1980. After the establishment of the university, in order to further commemorate the achievements of the founding father of the Republic of China, the Ministry of Education was requested to change the anniversary of the founding father of the Republic of China to November 12th, November 12th, and the university motto was "Extensive Learning, Careful Inquiry, Prudent Thinking, Clear Discernment, and Diligent Practice".

In the face of global changes and international competition in higher education, we integrate academic and industrial resources and energy in southern Taiwan through innovative interdisciplinary teaching, research and services. We serve as a think tank for government policy development and promotion, coexist with the local community, fulfill our social responsibilities as a university, and strive to become "the Harvard University of Southern Taiwan, providing the talent and creativity needed for the development of the greater South" as our vision, moving towards becoming "a world-class university with equal emphasis on humanities and science and engineering".