欧美同学会成立于1913年，是一个历史悠久、人才荟萃、影响广泛的全国性归国留学人员组织，是党领导下的具有群众性、高知性、统战性的人民团体，是党联系广大留学人员的桥梁和纽带、党和政府做好留学人员工作的助手、广大留学人员之家。2003年增冠“中国留学人员联谊会”会名。
成立之初，欧美同学会就积极践行爱国思想，普及科学理念和知识，组织会员参与爱国民主运动、投身民族救亡和人民解放事业。新中国成立后，欧美同学会大力号召和动员海外学人回到祖国，组织会员投身国家建设和发展。改革开放以来，欧美同学会广泛联络和团结海内外留学人员，致力于中国特色社会主义建设事业。进入新世纪后，欧美同学会发挥人才智力优势，向政府建言献策，服务海外高层次人才，服务国家和地方经济社会发展，投身全面建成小康社会和实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的奋斗进程。
长期以来，新中国几代领导人都对广大留学人员给予亲切关怀，对留学人员工作和欧美同学会发展给予高度重视，特别是2013年习近平主席在欧美同学会成立100周年庆祝大会上发表的重要讲话，高度评价了留学人员的历史贡献，充分肯定了欧美同学会的历史地位和作用，丰富完善了留学人员工作方针，对广大留学人员提出了希望要求，为做好留学人员工作提供了根本遵循。2023年10月21日，习近平主席向欧美同学会成立110周年致贺信，对广大留学人员和欧美同学会提出了新的希望和要求，为新征程上欧美同学会开展留学人员工作指明了前进方向，提供了根本指导。
目前，欧美同学会全国性组织体系进一步完善，已成立欧美同学会组织1400多个，其中省(区、市)和新疆生产建设兵团欧美同学会31个，副省级城市欧美同学会15个，地(市、州、盟)欧美同学会240个，高等院校、科研院所欧美同学会670多个。现有个人会员约34万人。
顾维钧、周诒春、詹天佑、蔡元培等知名海归是欧美同学会创立者和早期会员。1982年恢复活动以来，茅以升、卢嘉锡、吴阶平、丁石孙、韩启德、陈竺先后任欧美同学会会长。现任会长丁仲礼。
Introduction to the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA)
Founded in 1913, the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA) is a nationwide organization of returned overseas scholars with a long history, a wealth of talent, and broad influence. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC)， it is a mass organization characterized by high intellectual engagement and a united front nature. The WRSA serves as a bridge connecting the Party with a vast number of returned scholars, an assistant to the Party and government in handling affairs related to overseas-educated talents, and a home for returned scholars. In 2003, the association officially added "The Chinese Overseas-Educated Scholars Association" to its name.
From its inception, The WRSA has actively promoted patriotic ideals, disseminated scientific knowledge, and encouraged its members to participate in patriotic and democratic movements, national salvation efforts, and the cause of liberation. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, WRSA has played a key role in mobilizing overseas scholars to return home and contribute to national development. With China’s reform and opening-up starting in the late 1970s, the WRSA has maintained extensive connections with overseas-educated talents, uniting them in the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Entering the 21th century, WRSA has leveraged its intellectual and talent advantages to provide policy recommendations to the government, support high-level overseas talents, and contribute to national and local economic and social development. It has actively participated in the endeavor to build a moderately prosperous society and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation—the Chinese Dream.
For decades, successive generations of Chinese leaders have shown great care for returned scholars, attaching high importance to the work of WRSA and overseas-educated talents. Notably, in 2013, President Xi Jinping delivered a significant speech at the WRSA's 100th-anniversary celebration, highly praising the historical contributions of returned scholars, fully affirming WRSA’s historical role, and enriching the guiding principles for overseas-educated talent affairs. He also put forward expectations and requirements for returned scholars, providing fundamental guidance for this work. On October 21, 2023, President Xi sent a congratulatory letter on WRSA’s 110th anniversary, outlining new expectations and directives for returned scholars and WRSA, setting the direction and providing fundamental guidence for the association in the new journey ahead.
Currently, the WRSA's network has been further improved, with over 1,400 branch organizations nationwide, including 31 at provincial-level (provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps)， 15 in sub-provincial cities, 240 at the prefectural level (cities, prefectures, leagues)， and more than 670 in higher education institutions and research institutes. It has about 340,000 individual members in total.
Renowned returned scholars such as Gu Weijun, Zhou Yichun, Zhan Tianyou, and Cai Yuanpei were among the WRSA's founders and early members. Since the resumption of its activities in 1982, notable figures including Mao Yisheng, Lu Jiaxi, Wu Jieping, Ding Shisun, Han Qide, and Chen Zhu have successively served as WRSA presidents. The current president is Ding Zhongli.