Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) was initially founded in 1906 with the joint support from the then-Chinese government and several British and American religious groups (thus the term "Union"). In 1917, it was reorganized with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation and relocated to the current site at Dong Dan San Tiao in downtown Beijing (Peking). Today PUMC is widely considered to be the most prestigious medical school in China. Its unique eight-year-long M.D. program has provided generations of leaders for academic modern medicine and related areas in China. PUMC has also been affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) since the latter's establishment in 1956.
PUMC has 6 authorized first-level doctoral programs, 49 authorized second-level doctoral programs, 51 authorized master programs and 6 post-doctoral mobile stations with 18 national key disciplines. There are 320 doctoral supervisors, 538 master supervisors and 25 academicians of the 2 ministries. It has over 20,000 students in the college.
Enrollment of the medical school is based on individual's performance in high school and the score of National Exam at the graduation. The curriculum is 8 years, including 2.5 years of pre-medical education in the department of biology at Peking University (moved to the department of biology at Tsinghua University in 2003). The college also has its independent Graduate School which recruits from other medical schools around country. The health care services at Peking Union Medical College Hospital are widely believed in China as among the most technically advanced. Many prominent political and social leaders in China have sought medical treatment at the PUMC Hospital.
Peking Union Medical College has provided generations of leaders for academic modern medicine and related areas in China. In 2006, PUMC changed its name to Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University. Peking Union Medical College is not merged into Tsinghua University, they are two separate institutions.