Rizhao Polytechnic was originated from Rizhao Third Vocational High School founded in 1987 and was upgraded to Rizhao Economy School, a regular vocational school, in 1993. On April 15, 1998, approved by the Ministry of Education, it became the first higher vocational school in Shandong Province. In July 2008, it was established by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance as a national exemplary higher vocational college; and in 2011, it passed the acceptance with an excellent performance. In 2012, it was recognized as a 2011-2012 national model college in graduate employment by the Ministry of Education, ranked one of the top 50 nationwide.

RZPT is located in University & Science Park of Rizhao, covering an area of around 830,000 m2. So far, it has 1,000 faculty and staff, an enrollment of 18,000 students, facilities and instruments of 166 million Yuan, and a collection of 1.45 million books in the library. To suit the local economic development needs，RZPT offers 38 majors under 10 disciplines, including Cultural and Innovation, IT, Food Processing, Ocean Biochemistry, Equipment Manufacturing, Civil Engineering, Finance and Accounting, Tourism, Business and Management, Automotive Technology. These majors encompass all the pillar industries in Southern Shandong Economic Belt and Rizhao. The students come from 29 provinces across the country, and the admission scores have been among the highest three in Shandong's vocational colleges for many years, with 100% of students enrolled from their first choice. Over 98% of RZPT's graduates are employed upon graduation, and their performance has satisfied more than 95% of the employers for many years.

RZPT is always committed to building its soft power. Up to now, it has 5 model majors of National Exemplary Higher Vocational Colleges, 2 majors financed by the national "service capability promotion program", 1 National Experimental Teaching Reform Major, 3 Provincial Brand Majors, and 6 Provincial Feature Majors. At the same time, it has established 6 national elite courses, 19 provincial elite courses, and 105 college elite courses. It has one national-level teaching team, five provincial-level teaching teams; its faculty includes Taishan Scholars, receivers of special allowance offered by the State Council, Shandong provincial young and mid-aged experts and excellent teachers, with 57 person times winning provincial or municipal rewards for their outstanding contributions. RZPT has won 1 National Teaching Achievement Award, and 8 provincial Teaching Achievement Awards.

RZPT places priority on service and employment, working to combine its teaching and R&D efforts with the industrial needs. Up to now, it has 451 partnership companies, one school-enterprise jointly founded subordinate school, 12 school-enterprise jointly founded majors and 33 classes named after the sponsoring enterprises. It has 120 on-campus practice &training centers (19 offer field training), 19 student innovation studios, 19 occupational skill accreditation offices and 431 off-campus training bases. It is working with enterprises in subordinate school development, specialty development, curriculum, teaching staff, practice and training, student enrollment, employment, teaching procedures, teaching evaluation and scientific research to set up a wide-range, in-depth, multiform school-enterprise joint education platform.

In an effort to make full use of the strengths of others, RZPT invited Mr. Samuel Ding ---- the Nobel Prize winner and Mr. Xue Rongxing----Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group of Korea as Honorary President; it has established partnership with 53 universities and colleges from 13 countries or regions, such as the United States, Germany and South Korea. In cooperation with Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College of Denmark and Shinsung University of South Korea, the majors of Logistics Management and Automobile Inspection &Maintenance are set up. In cooperation with Korea Hyundai Motor Group, the School of Hyundai Auto, the largest talent-training base of Hyundai Group in China, is established. With Euro 4.82 million of Austrian government loans, practical training centers for Aquaculture, food processing, automotive technology are established.

Since its establishment 26 years ago, RZPT promotes the spirit of "pursuit of excellence, striving for the top", sticks to the tenet of serving the regional economic and social development, and the responsibility for personal improvement of students, sticks to the philosophy of "highlighting both theory and practice, integrating technology and humanity" and makes the harmonious development of its scale, structure, teaching quality and benefit. It is recognized as "National Outstanding Organization in Art Education" by the Ministry of Education, "National Scarce Talents Training Base in Architecture" by the Ministry of Construction, "A key Organization for Promotion of National S&T Achievements" by the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is a winner of awards such as outstanding college in Shandong evaluations on talent education, graduate employment, moral education and campus culture, ideology and political education and physical education. It has been recognized as Shandong Excellent Grass-roots CPC Branch and Provincial Excellent Organization successively.