HNU is situated in Xinxiang City of northern Henan Province, on the vast Muye plains and next to the Wei River. It is surrounded by the Taihang Mountains in the north and the Yellow River in the south. The university is supported by the National Midwest Higher Education Revitalization Program, the national “111 Plan”, jointly built by the People’s Government of Henan Province and the Ministry of Education, recognized for excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Assessment by the Ministry of Education, a characteristic backbone university in Henan province, and a “Double First-Class” initiative university in Henan province . Furthermore, it has been honored as a National Civilized Unit for three consecutive times and was selected as the second National Civilized Campus.

HNU has a rich historical background and a wealth of educational resources. The university traces its roots back to the Science Department of Zhongzhou University, which was established in 1923 (the precursor to National Henan University), and the Pingyuan Normal College, which was founded in 1951. It has undergone various transformations before being renamed Henan Normal University in 1985, including the Second Division of Henan Normal College, Henan Second Normal College and Xinxiang Normal College. Over the past hundred years, the university has created the motto of “Virtue and knowledge for eudaimonia”, the school spirit of “Virtue, Rightness, Harmony, Innovation”, the teaching spirit of of “Leaning and Studying industriously, Setting a good example, Enlightening wisdom, Building character, and the learning style of “Honesty, Diligence, Unity,  Uprightness”. Moreover, the university has developed the spirit of emphasizing culture and civilization, sincerity and virtue, simplicity and truth, and has been renowned for its sound academic atmosphere, high-quality teaching, vibrant learning environment, and advanced pedagogy. It spans an area of 1,395,300 square meters with a built area of 1,100,200 square meters and houses over 3.3441 million volumes of Chinese and foreign paper books as well as more than 10.4589 million electronic books. It is the home to the exclusive Pavarotti Music and Arts Center in the world, as well as  the largest and most diverse biological resources museum in Henan Province. Additionally, the university manages affiliated middle schools, primary schools, and kindergartens.

HNU has a wide range of disciplines and a well-established training system. It includes 11 major academic fields such as Philosophy, Economics, Law, Education, Literature, History, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Management, and Art. The university consists of 25 colleges, 4 academies, and 1 modern industrial college, offering 89 undergraduate majors. Among them, 34 are National First-class Undergraduate Major Construction Points and 23 are Provincial First-class Undergraduate Major Construction Points. It also provides 30 disciplines with master’s degree authorization, 23 types of master’s professional degrees, 10 disciplines with doctoral degree authorization, 1 doctoral professional degree category and 9 postdoctoral research stations, serving more than 74,000 students. The university has 2 National Discipline Innovation and Talent Introduction Bases (“111 Plan”), 4 Provincial Characteristic Backbone A-Level Disciplines, 1 Provincial Specially -Needed and Urgently-Needed Characteristic Backbone Discipline (Group), and 25 Provincial First-Class Key Disciplines. 7 subjects, including Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, Materials Science, Environmental/Ecological Science, and Plant & Animal Science, rank in the top 1% globally according to ESI. Additionally, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, and Physics have consistently ranked in the top 100 mainland Chinese institutions for their respective fields, according to the Nature Index.

HNU has a strong faculty and has nurtured a number of outstanding talents. Renowned scholars such as Cao Liqing, Hao Xiangwu, Sun Xiangzheng, Zhao Xinwu, Zhao Jibin, Li Junfu, Yao Conggong, Wei Mingchu, Fan Yingchuan, Du Mengmo, Sun Zuoyun, Huang Dunci, Xu Mengying, and Lu Jinsuo have taught and conducted research here since its establishment. In recent years, the university has attracted influential experts and scholars like Wang Jianji, Lu Gongru, Xu Cunshuan, Guo Zongming, Chang Junbiao, etc. Currently, It has over 3,200 staff members, including 9 double-recruited academicians, and more than 100 high-level talents , such as National Outstanding Professional and Technical personnel, National Distinguished Young Scholars, National Outstanding Youth, National Hundred Talent Program, Cheung Kong Scholars, Central Plains Scholars, etc. It also has 2 Technological Innovation teams from Ministry of Education , 3 national-level distinguished teachers, 2 national teaching teams, 1 National Huang Danian style teacher team in universities, and 1 recipient of National 100 Excellent Doctoral Dissertation award. Recent evaluations of Chinese universities have shown that the academic level and performance of HNU rank at the forefront among universities in Henan Province.

HNU adheres to moral education and student cultivation, and has achieved fruitful results. It actively participates in national initiatives such as National Excellent Teacher Development Program, National College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program, and National Excellent Agriculture and Forestry Talent Education and Training Program. Furthermore, the university has 4 national and 10 provincial-level experimental teaching demonstration centers, 3 national and 37 provincial-level virtual simulation teaching projects, 1 national pilot virtual research environment, and 15 national first-class undergraduate courses. In the past five sessions, it has received 102 National Undergraduate Teaching Projects and 11 National Teaching Achievement Awards. Additionally, the students of HNU have made remarkable achievements in various competitions, including China College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, “Challenge Cup” National College Student Curricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, Chuangqing Youth Entrepreneurship Competition for College Students, and National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling Contest. HNU has consistently ranked in the top three for 6 consecutive sessions at the“Toshiba Cup”China Normal University Science Teaching Skills for Innovation Contest and won the top award—Innovation Award at the seventh session. Moreover, the university has been honored with China Youth Science and Technology Innovation Award, the World Cup Taekwondo World Cup Team Champion, as well as the top three art awards in China, including the Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, China Drama Award - Campus Drama Award and China Lotus Award, which makes it unique in holding the three major art awards simultaneously in China.

HNU is dedicated to scientific and technological innovation and has made significant contributions to social services. It has established 61 national and provincial research platforms, including National Key Laboratory, Henan Provincial Laboratory, National&Local Joint Engineering Laboratory, Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of National Medical Products Administration, and State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Cell Differentiation Regulation. In recent years, the university has held major projects, including Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Key Program of National Social Science Foundation, National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars, etc. The university has received numerous prestigious awards, such as National Award for Excellence in Innovation, China Patent Gold Award, Second Prize of National Natural Science Award, Second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, Second Prize in Natural Science of the Ministry of Education, Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award in Higher Education (Humanities and Social Sciences) of the Ministry of Education. Additionally, Many high-level academic papers have been published in top-tier domestic and international journals, such as Nature, Science, PNAS, JACS, ANGEW,  Philosophy Research, CASS JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, Management World, Historical Research, Educational Research, and Studies on Marxism. Furthermore, the university has made remarkable achievements in basic mathematics, theoretical physics, green chemistry, bioengineering, drug development, environmental science, Central Plains culture, and the Shang Oracle Bone Inscription, among which have reached international advanced levels. Key innovations with independent intellectual property rights, such as anti-cancer and antiviral nucleoside analogues and lithium-ion battery separator, have achieved industrialization. Notably, Azvudine, as a homegrown oral pill, was first conditionally approved for Class 1 new drug to treat COVID-19.

HNU upholds an open education policy and enhances international cooperation. Actively participating in the “Belt and Road” educational initiative, the university promotes high-quality international collaboration and cultural exchange. The university has established long-term partnerships with over 70 prestigious institutions from countries such as the USA, Russia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Belarus, Japan, and South Korea. It offers a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate joint programs. One notable initiative is the “Sino-Russian University Alliance of Culture and Arts”, created in collaboration with seven domestic universities and approved by both governments. The university also has joint education program with the University of Wisconsin (USA), the University of Perpignan (France), and the Belarusian State University of Physical Education. Additionally, it has established the “Sino-French Joint Institute” with the University of Perpignan and the “International Football Education Institute” with the Royal Dutch Football Association. Moreover, HNU has set up a Confucius Institute with Pakistan’s Sargodha University , and Confucius Classrooms with Pakistan’s Millennium Education Group and Thailand’s Xingmin School, which marks a new stage of the university’s commitment to opening up education policy.

HNU, in its centennial history, has been dedicated to producing top-quality talents and serving the nation through education. The university prides itself on cultivating well-rounded individuals who are prepared to uphold China’s values through moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labour education.It has educated over 300,000 students, including notable alumni such as Zhang Tongyi and Zhang Suojiang, who are academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Many graduates have also received prestigious  awards like National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars, National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars, Cheung Kong Scholars, Provincial and Ministerial level leaders, Renowned entrepreneurs and outstanding Primary and Secondary School principals. The  graduates of HNU, known for their strong moral values, high professional skills, diligent work ethic, and exceptional performance, have been highly praised by society, bringing honor to their alma mater.

In the new era, we will strive for new progress guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, uphold the socialist principles in running our school, focus on fostering virtue through education, and unite our Party members and cadres, staff and students to achieve the goals set by the 12th Party Congress of the university. We will continue to emancipate the mind, renew the Concept,  innovate, forge ahead, deepen reforms, enhance our development, and work towards building the university into a world-renowned, nationally famous, regionally led, and distinctive high-level university.

（Data as of March 2024）