西安外国语大学是新中国最早建立的4所外语院校之一，是西北地区唯一一所主要外语语种齐全的普通高校。1951年，经中央人民政府教育部批准，由兰州大学文学院俄文系、西北大学外国语文系俄文组、俄文专修科合并组建了西安外国语大学的前身——西北俄文专科学校。1952年，中共西北局党校俄文班并入西北俄文专科学校，开始为国家培养本科层次外语人才。

1958年更名为西安外国语学院。学校总占地面积1593亩，建筑面积80.1万平方米。开设58个本科专业，7个辅修专业，覆盖文学、经济学、管理学、法学、教育学、理学、艺术学7个学科门类。         

学校坚持发挥自身优势，广泛开展国际交流与合作，先后同美国、英国、加拿大、澳大利亚、法国、德国、西班牙、意大利、俄罗斯等49个国家和地区的270所高等院校、科研机构签订合作协议，实施学硕博不同层次人才联合培养项目；开展师生互派、学分互认、学位互授、联合举办国际会议等学术交流合作项目；引进美国、德国、瑞士、日本及香港地区的境外访学、实习项目。学校先后被教育部确定为国家留学基金委中美富布赖特项目定点院校、青年骨干教师出国研修项目和优秀本科生国际交流项目合作院校，是接收国家政府奖学金项目来华留学生委托培养单位。

Founded in 1952, Xi'an International Studies University (referred as theUniversity thereafter) is one of the earliest 4 foreign language institutions established in new China. The University changed its original name of Northwest College of Russian to Xi'an Foreign Language Institute in 1958 and Xi'an International Studies University in 2006. In 2010, the University becamedoctoral degreeconferringinstitution. In 2013, the University began to confer doctoral degree in foreign languages and literatures (Category I). In 2014, the University established a post-doctoral research station. In 2011, the University was listed as one of the high-level key universities by Shaanxi Provincial Government that needs to be developed with priority. After three decades, the University has transformed into a comprehensive university that features foreign language education, andresearch in international humanities andsocial sciences, and offers programs primarily in humanities, with a balanced offering in liberal arts and science, economics and management, law, education and fine arts.