Located in Nanjing, the ancient capital for six dynasties in Chinese history, Nanjing Normal University (NNU) is one of the provincial key universities under “Project 211”. Its history can be traced back to Sanjiang Normal Institute established in 1902. It was renamed as Liangjiang Excellent Normal Institute in 1905, and evolved into National Nanjing Higher Normal School in 1914. In 1920, National Southeast University was established on the basis of disciplines of National Nanjing Higher Normal School, and in 1923, National Nanjing Higher Normal School merged into it. In 1927, National Southeast University, Hehai Engineering University, and other six national schools of professional college level or above, integrated into the Fourth Sun Yat-sen University. It was renamed as Jiangsu University, then National Central University, and evolved into National Nanjing University, which turned out to be Nanjing University in 1950. The other source of Nanjing Normal University is Huiwen Academy established in 1888. In 1910, Huiwen Academy developed into Private Jinling University. In 1951, Private Jinling University and Private Jinling Women Arts and Science College, which was established in 1913 and renamed as Jingling Women University in 1914, integrated to National Jinling University.When the national adjustment of higher education took place in 1952, based on the normal school of Nanjing University, the educational department and the children well-being department of Jinling University, as well as other relative departments and colleges and the science class of Nanjing Normal School integrated into Nanjing Normal College, which was set up on the former site of the Jinling Women Arts and Science College. In January 1984, it was named as Nanjing Normal University, and entered the national construction of key universities under “Project 211”. In March 2000, Nanjing Power College merged into it. At present, NNU has been striving to set up a domestic first-class comprehensive university well-known for the educational and scientific research, which lays a solid foundation for building a high-level university with international influence.

NNU plays a leading role in the construction of “Project 211” and academic discipline sites. The university now has 6 national key disciplines, 3 national key cultivated disciplines, 10 provincial preponderant disciplines, 5 provincial key cultivated disciplines, 18 provincial first-level key disciplines. The university established graduate school in 2011. It offers 22 doctoral degree programs of first-level disciplines and other 4 doctoral degree programs of second-level disciplines which are not included above, 37 master’s degree programs of first-level disciplines and 10 master’s degree programs of second-level disciplines which are not included above, 1 professional doctoral degree programs, 18 professional master degree programs, 95 undergraduate’s programs and 22 post-doctoral research centers. It embraces diverse branches of learning such as humanities, history, philosophy, education, science, engineering, economics, law, management, agriculture, medicine, art, etc. There are 7 programs ranking among the top ten in China, and 2 programs enter into 1% of ESI.

NNU always adheres to the strategy of “enriching life and fostering talents”, aiming to deepen the educational and teaching reform and promote quality personnel training. The university possesses 13 national quality courses, 8 national classic video courses, 15 national high-quality resource sharing courses, 7 bilingual model courses sponsored by Ministry of Education, 2 English-taught brand courses for foreign students sponsored by Ministry of Education, 1 model course of career development and employment guidance, 8 national characteristic specialties, 21 nationally planned textbooks for “Twelfth Five-year Plan”, 11 national teaching achievement prizes, 3 national innovative experimental bases for personnel training, 1 pilot program for major reform sponsored by Ministry of Education. It also has 1 national personnel training and scientific research base for liberal arts, 1 national personnel training and scientific research base for science, 1 national teacher training base for physical education and arts, 1 university instructor training base authorized by Ministry of Education, 1 cultural quality education base for university students, 1 national experimental teaching demonstration center, 1 national off-campus practice base and 1 national training base for talents of law. NNU was awarded “Excellent Undergraduate Programs” in the evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education and it becomes one of the undergraduate admissions experimental units in Jiangsu province. NNU students have won the outstanding or top awards many times in the competitions at home and abroad such as “Challenge Cup” and other competitions, and 4 Ph.D dissertations are selected as National Excellent doctoral dissertations.

NNU implements the strategy of "indomitable spirit" to enhance the quality of scientific research. It has 8 national and provincial scientific research institutes such as national-local engineering research center, humanities and social sciences key research base and key laboratories approved by the Ministry of Education, key laboratory approved by the Ministry of Public Security, key research base of China State General Administration of Sport on sport social science and culture, research and training base of women and gender approved by All-China Women’s Federation and provincial construction center of state key laboratory. In recent years, NNU has 5 papers published in Science and Nature as the first author and achieves 9 major projects of national social science fund, 4 key projects of philosophy and social studies sponsored by the Ministry of Education, 2 support programs of national science and technology and 2 project funded by national basic research program. It won 4 first prizes of humanities and social sciences and 3 first prizes of natural science in College Outstanding Research Achievement Awards of the Ministry of Education, 8 monographs was selected into Achievements Library of National Social Sciences Fund, with its research achievement appeared in the “China’s top ten scientific and technological progress of Higher Education” and “China’s Top Ten News of Basic Research”. The Records of Grand Historians has gone through an amendment of 8 years which is led by professors of NNU, and it was selected as Top Ten Cultural highlights of Guangming Daily and Top Ten Cultural Events of China Reading Weekly.

Under of guidance of collaborative innovation, NNU contributed a lot to the economic development and social progress. NNU has 4 collaborative innovation centers of Jiangsu universities, 4 provincial key research base of philosophy and social sciences, 3 provincial research base for decision-making consultation, 1 key research base of Publicity Department of Jiangsu Province, 6 key research base of Jiangsu universities’ philosophy and social sciences, 1 research base of humanities and social sciences, 1 provincial research center of physical health of students, 1 provincial research base of gerontology, 11 provincial key laboratories, 5 provincial engineering research centers, 5 provincial engineering laboratories, 2 provincial key laboratories of fishery, and 1 provincial public technological service platforms. It has established a number of platforms of fruitful production-learning-research cooperation, promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and the development of cultural innovation industries. Some collaborative platforms have been built to encourage teachers to do research on policy-making and give a full play to the think tanks.

With educational internationalization as its main strategy, NNU attaches great importance to international exchange and cooperation. NNU is among the first group of domestic universities to open up to the outside world, boasting a model base authorized by Ministry of Education for teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages and National Base for Teaching Chinese for Foreigners, Chinese Teaching Base of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, one of the first bases for Chinese education and childhood education and training of teachers for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions. In addition, it has several international research and teaching organizations like UNESCO International Rural Education Research and Training Center Nanjing Base, French Culture Research Center and Alliance Francaise de Nanjing and Italian Culture Research Center. NNU has established 3 Confucius Institutes in the United States and France, developed joint programs with 11 overseas universities and has established study abroad programs with 49 universities. NNU has employed more than 400 foreign experts, 56 of whom are long-term ones. Apart from that, NNU has established intercollegiate exchange relationships with 177 universities from 33 countries and regions all over the world and receives more than 1,800 foreign students annually from 123 countries.