西安石油大学是西北地区惟一一所以石油石化为特色的多科性普通高等学校，是陕西省人民政府和国家三大石油公司共建院校、陕西省高水平大学建设院校、中国政府奖学金来华留学生自主招生院校。学校肇始于1951年创立的西北石油工业专科学校，1958年升格为西安石油学院，1969年更名西北石油化工学院，1980年恢复西安石油学院校名，2003年更名为西安石油大学。

Xi'an Shiyou University is the only multi-disciplinary ordinary institution of higher learning with petroleum and petrochemical characteristics in Northwest China. It is a university jointly built by the People's Government of Shaanxi Province and the three major national petroleum companies, a high-level university construction institution in Shaanxi Province, and an independent enrollment institution for international students under the Chinese Government Scholarship Program. The university originated from the Northwest Petroleum Industry Junior College founded in 1951, was upgraded to Xi'an Petroleum Institute in 1958, renamed Northwest Petroleum Chemical College in 1969, restored to the name of Xi'an Petroleum Institute in 1980, and renamed Xi'an Shiyou University in 2003.

学校设有石油工程学院、地球科学与工程学院等16个学院（部），59个本科专业，涵盖工学、理学、经济学、管理学、文学、法学、教育学、艺术学等8大学科门类。拥有1个博士后科研流动站，1个博士学位授权一级学科，16个硕士学位授权一级学科，15个硕士专业学位授权类别，形成了以石油石化为特色，多学科协调发展的学科专业体系。

The university has 16 colleges (departments) including the College of Petroleum Engineering and the College of Geosciences and Engineering, with 59 undergraduate majors covering 8 disciplines such as engineering, science, economics, management, literature, law, education, and art. It has 1 post-doctoral research mobile station, 1 first-level discipline authorized for doctoral degrees, 16 first-level disciplines authorized for master's degrees, and 15 categories of master's professional degree authorization, forming a discipline and professional system with petroleum and petrochemical characteristics and coordinated development of multiple disciplines.