Northeast Normal University (NENU), an institution of higher learning under the direct administration of the Ministry of Education, is one of the universities given priority in the “211 Project”. The University is located in Changchun City, Jilin Province with the new campus being situated in the beautiful Jingyuetan Tourist Development Zone. NENU occupies an area of 1,500,000 square meters, including 817,000 square meters of the main campus and 690,000 square meters of Jingyuetan campus.

Originally, the University was called the Northeast University. It was the first comprehensive university in the Northeast part of China, and was founded by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1946. In 1950, to meet the needs of nation’s educational development, the university was renamed the Northeast Normal University.

There are more than 20,000 full-time students in NENU, including 14,466 undergraduates and 4,583 M.A. and Ph.D. students. The University has an excellent teaching team consisting of 1,401 full-time teachers, including 348 professors, 431 associate professors and 184 Ph.D. supervisors, many of whom are members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Third World Academy of Sciences, the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council, and the National Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Specialists and the Program of Yangtze River Scholars.

NENU has a wide range of specialties and these specialties cover almost every field of study. Some of the specialties belong to the first-rate specialties in China. The University presently comprises 19 schools, 56 undergraduate specialties and a graduate school, and offers 137 M.A. degree specialties and 70 Ph. D. degree specialties. There are 8 disciplines with post-doctoral R&D Stations; 9 faculties authorized to confer doctoral degrees, and 4 key disciplines of the National Institution of Higher Education. Two disciplines are among the key research bases for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education and 2 are personnel training and scientific research bases of the national fundamental disciplines of arts and sciences. Also, many laboratories and research centers are authorized by the Province, Ministry and State and some national level training programs. 
In recent years, the graduates from NENU have been welcomed and praised for their grounding in their disciplines and the high quality and advancement of their theoretical research. They have also enjoyed a good reputation in the basic education field. The demand for graduates from NENU exceeds the supply. Thirty percent of undergraduates continue on and undertake their Master Degree studies in such first-rate universities as Beijing University, Tsinghua University and Northeast Normal University and large numbers of students find jobs in such cities as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In addition, a number of students go abroad to further their studies. In 2004, the University was awarded the “Advanced Job Hunting Unit” by the State Council, being one of 4 higher learning institutes nationwide which got the honor.

The University has achieved great success in scientific research. Since 2001, NENU has taken up more than 900 provincial and ministry level projects and received 80,000,000 Yuan in scientific funds. The University values international cooperation and exchange and has signed agreements with more than 110 universities and institutes of higher learning from 20 countries, including universities and institutes of higher learning in the United States, Canada, Japan and Russia. NENU has also welcomed 208 foreign experts as Honored or Visiting Professors, including the Noble Prize Winner, Professor Yang Zhenning.

After many years of construction and development, NENU’s teaching and living condition have continued to improve and it is able to provide good conditions for students to study, live and relax in. These include the 24,600 square meter modern library which holds 2,630,000 volumes, and is one of the biggest university libraries in China; the modern college network; the 11,600 square meters Tianjiabing Education Center; the 8,600 square meters modern teaching building; the 17 students Apartment Buildings; and 4 multi-function dinning halls. It also has first rate sporting facilities. including a state-of-the-art track and field oval; basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts; a roller-skating rink; and, a swimming pool. A 20,000 square meter gymnasium and a 120,000 square meter Natural Museum are currently under construction.  

Entering the new century, NENU is working hard to follow through with the concept of Respect-Based Education. Pursuing the goals set by the University 12th Representative Congress of the Communist Party of China, implementing reforms in education and teaching, enhancing the development of disciplines and instructors qualities, pursuing educational innovation, stressing management efficiency and effectiveness. The faculties and students are making great efforts together to build NENU into a first-rate teacher university in China and make it internationally well-known.