Northwest Normal University President's Scholarship for International Students

About the university

Northwest Normal University (NWNU), located in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, is a key university jointly established by the Gansu Provincial People's Government and the Ministry of Education. It has been selected into the National Basic Capacity Building Project for Universities in Central and Western China, the Excellent Teacher Training Program, the Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Program for Higher Education Institutions, the Chinese Language Education Base of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Collaborative Quality Improvement Program for Normal Education, and is one of the institutions receiving Chinese Government Scholarship international students. It is also one of the fourteen universities in western China under key national support, with counterpart assistance from Beijing Normal University. Northwest Normal University traces its origins to the Normal School of Imperial University of Peking in 1902. After several name changes and relocations, it became the independent National Northwest Normal College in 1939 and moved to Lanzhou in 1941. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Peking Normal University (now Beijing Normal University) was restored, while the Northwest Normal College continued to operate in Lanzhou. It was renamed Gansu Normal University in 1958, restored the name Northwest Normal College in 1981, and became one of the first institutions authorized by the State Council to confer doctoral, master's, and bachelor's degrees. It was officially named Northwest Normal University in 1988. In 2020, it was listed as a provincial university supported by the Gansu Provincial People's Government to enter the national first-class university construction. On March 2, 2026, the Northwest Normal University Science and Technology Park was established in Lanzhou New Area. As of September 2025, the university covers an area of 1,514 mu (about 101 hectares); it has 27 secondary colleges (65 departments and 3 teaching divisions), 4 Confucius Institutes, and offers 80 undergraduate programs. It has 12 first-level doctoral degree authorization points, 4 professional doctoral degree authorization points, 28 first-level master's degree authorization points, and 26 professional master's degree authorization points. The university has 2,733 faculty and staff members, and a total of 32,091 enrolled students. The predecessor of Northwest Normal University was the Normal School of Imperial University of Peking, founded in 1902, which pioneered modern higher normal education in China and also marked the beginning of psychology education in China. In 1898, the Qing government formulated the "Imperial University of Peking Charter" and established the Imperial University of Peking, marking the beginning of modern national higher education in China. However, due to the failure of the "Hundred Days' Reform," the university was suspended. In 1902, the Imperial University of Peking was reestablished, offering accelerated and preparatory courses, with the accelerated course later divided into the School of Official Training and the Normal School. In 1904, the Normal School was renamed the Advanced Normal Division. In 1908, the Normal School of Imperial University of Peking was renamed the Imperial Advanced Normal School. In May 1912, the Imperial Advanced Normal School was renamed Beijing Higher Normal School. In 1920, Beijing Higher Normal School established the Graduate School of Education, admitting graduates of higher normal schools and specialized schools as well as outstanding third-year university students, initiating graduate education in education in China. In July 1923, Beijing Higher Normal School was renamed "National Peking Normal University," with Fan Yuanlian as president, advocating personality education, and establishing departments such as Education, Chinese Literature, and English at the undergraduate level, while the Graduate School of Education continued to enroll students. In 1931, following an order from the Ministry of Education, National Peking Normal University merged with the National Peking University Women's Normal College, and the name was changed to "National Peking Normal University," comprising three colleges: Education, Arts, and Sciences. The College of Education included departments of Education, Physical Education, and Applied Arts. In 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out. Amid national crisis, to preserve the torch of education, universities including Peking University, Peking Normal University, Beiyang Institute of Technology, and Peking Research Institute formed the core of a university that traveled westward, establishing the Xi'an Provisional University, which later moved to Hanzhong and Chenggu areas and was restructured into the "Northwest United University." On April 3, 1938, the Ministry of Education issued the "Plan for Reorganizing Institutions of Higher Education in the Pingjin-Shanghai Area" approved by the 350th meeting of the Executive Yuan of the National Government, ordering the renaming of National Xi'an Provisional University to National Northwest United University; in July of the same year, the Ministry of Education instructed the restructuring of Northwest United University, leading to the establishment of National Northwest Normal College. In spring 1938, Xi'an Provisional University moved to Hanzhong and was renamed National Northwest United University. In 1940, National Northwest Normal College was ordered to move to Lanzhou, Gansu Province. From 1941 to 1944, the college completed its relocation to Lanzhou. After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, National Northwest Normal College continued to operate in Lanzhou. Meanwhile, Peking Normal University (now Beijing Normal University) was restored. Before 1958, the university was one of the six key national higher normal institutions directly under the Ministry of Education. In 1958, it was placed under the leadership of Gansu Province and renamed Gansu Normal University. In 1981, it resumed the name Northwest Normal College. In 1981, Northwest Normal College was approved as one of the first institutions authorized to confer doctoral, master's, and bachelor's degrees.