Abstract: Self-organization theory provides an important methodological perspective for research on ideological and political education in universities. In the new era, ideological and political education in universities exhibits self-organizing characteristics such as openness, decentralization, and nonlinearity. Its operational mechanisms are fundamentally driven by endogenous contradictions, synergistically guided by order parameters, and dynamically evolve through the coupling mechanism between self-organization and hetero-organization. The system continuously shifts between equilibrium and fluctuation, as well as between order and disorder, thus forming an open evolutionary law characteristic of dissipative structures. Applying self-organization principles to stimulate internal vitality, optimize internal and external control variables, and make good use of students’ self-organizing subsystems can effectively enhance the appeal, relevance, and adaptability to the times of ideological and political education, and provide theoretical foundations and practical pathways for fulfilling the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and building a high-quality education system.