China Youth University for Political Sciences (CYU), which was founded in 1985 on the basis of the Central CYL School, is the leading institution of higher learning of the Communist Youth League (CYL) of China, under the direct command of Central Committee of the Youth League. In 1948 the Central CYL School was founded in Pingan County of Hebei province, where the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was located at that time, and moved to Beijing with Chinese Communist Central Committee in 1949. As one university with two names (China Youth University for Political Sciences and the Central CYL School), the university has the dual function of offering general higher education to undergraduates and special training to cadres of Communist Youth League.

In 1983 the Central CYL School began to enroll junior college students. In September 1985, China Youth University for Political Sciences was founded with the authorization of Ministry of Education and State Planning Commission. Ever since then, China Youth University for Political Sciences, which inherits the school spirit of "being practical and realistic; being vigorous and vital" and adheres to the guiding principle of  "existing on quality and thriving on distinctiveness", has accelerated its standardization steadily through arduous struggle and innovative exploration. In 1986, CYU began to enroll the first class of undergraduates. In 1990, CYU was authorized to award the bachelor's degree and began to enroll students pursuing the second bachelor¡¯s degree study. In 1997, CYU passed the qualification assessment organized by Ministry of Education. In 2003, CYU achieved the authorization to confer the Master's degree.