Beijing Normal University (BNU) () is a public university in Haidian,

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China, and co-funded by the Ministry of Education and the

Beijing Municipal People's Government The Beijing Municipal People's Government is the local administrative agency of Beijing. It is officially elected by the Beijing Municipal People's Congress and is formally responsible to the BMPC and its Standing Committee. The municipal governm ...

. It is a renowned institution of higher education known for teacher education, education science and basic learning in both the arts and the sciences. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction.

History

Beijing Normal University (BNU) traces its origins to 1902, when the Department of Education of Imperial University of Peking () was established under the decree of the Qing Dynasty Emperor. As the first institution in Chinese history dedicated primarily to teacher training and educational specialization, it laid the foundation for modern higher education in China. In 1908, the school became independent and was renamed the Supreme Education School of Peking (). By 1923, the institution had evolved into the National Beijing Normal University (), marking the first use of the " Normal University" designation in China. A significant expansion occurred in 1931 when the Peking Women's Normal University () merged with the university, then known as Peking Normal University (). Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the institution was renamed Beijing Normal University. The university underwent further consolidation in 1952 when

Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private education, private Catholic university in Xinzhuang District, Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and ...

was merged into BNU as part of a nationwide reorganization of higher education. Seven years later, in 1959, the Chinese Ministry of Education designated BNU as one of China's 20 National Key Universities, affirming its leading role in academia. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, BNU strengthened its position through participation in major national initiatives. It was included in Project 211 (1996), a program aimed at enhancing around 100 universities for 21st-century development, and later in Project 985 (2002), which sought to elevate a select group of institutions to global prominence. The university gained international recognition in 2009 when ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described it as "one of the most progressive institutions" in China. BNU's academic standing was further solidified in 2017 when it was listed among China's Double First-Class Construction universities (comprising 36 institutions), with 11 of its disciplines ranking among the nation's best. That same year, BNU expanded its footprint by partnering with the Guangdong Provincial Government and Zhuhai Municipal Government to establish a new campus in

Zhuhai Zhuhai; Yale romanization of Cantonese, Yale: ''Jyūhói''; Chinese postal romanization, also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern ...

. The BNU Zhuhai Campus received official approval from the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in April 2019, marking a new phase in the university's development. Lize building BNUZ

Academics

International collaboration

Beijing Normal University is part of a university consortium, including the University for Continuing Education Krems, Eötvös Loránd University, Hochschule Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology and the

University of Tampere The University of Tampere (UTA) (, ) was a public university in Tampere, Finland that was merged with Tampere University of Technology to create the new Tampere University on 1 January 2019. The university offered undergraduate, postgraduate an ...

, which offers an Erasmus+ joint master's degree and a Master in Research and Innovation in Higher Education. Beijing Normal University was among the first Chinese institutions to accept international students. It is particularly popular for its

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...

study programs. Among its most prestigious programs is ''Princeton in Beijing'', a collaboration with

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in the United States. The university collaborates with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) on SUSS's Master of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature. Beijing Normal University is the seat of the BRICS Universities League Secretariat with BNU as a leading university in terms of

BRICS BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countriesBrazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian foreign ...

higher education and academic cooperation.

Rankings and reputation

As of 2025, BNU was ranked first in China, 2nd in Asia, and 7th the world by the ''QS World University Rankings by Subjects'' for "Education and Training", which are historical strengths for the Faculty of Education that originated as a " normal university". BNU is ranked 36th among the Global Top 100 Innovative Universities according to the World's Universities with Real Impacts (WURI) Ranking 2021. According to the 2021

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

, BNU was ranked among the top 170 in "Arts and Humanities", "Social Sciences & Management" and "Natural Science" related subjects. Beijing Normal University consistently features in the top 300th global universities as ranked by the

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

, the

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

and the U.S. News & World Report. Beijing Normal graduates are highly desired in China and worldwide; in 2017, its graduate employability rankings placed in the global top #200+ universities with high-achieving graduates. Internationally, Beijing Normal University was regarded as one of the most reputable Chinese universities by the '' Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings'' where, it has ranked #126 globally. * QS World University Ranking: 262nd, 12th in China *

: 151-200th *

: 146th worldwide, 26th in Asia and 9th in China

Campus

The main campus is in the

Haidian District Haidian () is a northwest urban district of Beijing, bordering Xicheng, Beijing, Xicheng and Fengtai, Beijing, Fengtai. It is in area, making it the second-largest district in urban Beijing area (after Chaoyang, Beijing, Chaoyang), and is home ...

, with other Beijing campuses in the Changping District and

Xicheng District Xicheng () is a district of the city of Beijing. Its cover the western half of the old city (largely inside the 2nd Ring Road; the eastern half is Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District), and has 1,106,214 inhabitants (2020 Census). It ...

as well as a campus in

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

. The original campus was near Hepingmen and Liulichang in the center of Beijing during the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

period. After Fu Jen University merged with BNU the Fu Jen campus in Shichahai became the Northern Campus of BNU. Beijing Normal University's current campus was built in 1954. It is located in central northwest Beijing in Haidian district between the second and third ring roads. It is the closest of all Haidian universities to

Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square () is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen ("''Gate of Heavenly Peace''") located to its north, which separates it from the Forbidden City. The square contains th ...

. Its campus hosted the U.S. Olympic Team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Notable alumni

* Mo Yan, writer, 2012

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

laureate *

Liu Xiaobo Liu Xiaobo (; 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017) was a Chinese literary criticism, literary critic, human rights activist, philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who called for political reforms and was involved in campaigns to end Ch ...

, writer and dissident, 2010

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

laureate * Su Tong, novelist * Bi Shumin, writer * Cao Shui, poet, novelist and screenwriter * Xie Jun, chess grandmaster * Zhu Jin, astronomer * Lang Ping, gold medalist in

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

women's volleyball, and former head coach of the U.S. women's national volleyball team *

Chen Yibing Chen Yibing (; born 19 December 1984) is a Chinese gymnastics, gymnast, a four-time world champion on still rings. Chen was part of the Chinese team that won the gold medal in the team event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2006 ...

, gymnast,

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

and

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

gold medalist * Xu Jialu, professor of Chinese, politician, and former vice chairman of the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...

* Yuan Guiren, professor of philosophy, and the former Minister of Education of the People's Republic of China * Chen Zongxing, a Chinese male politician, who served as the vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. * Liu Bin, a Chinese official who previously served as the National Chief Educational Inspector * Yu Dan, professor well known for her popular and controversial lectures about the

Analects The ''Analects'', also known as the ''Sayings of Confucius'', is an ancient Chinese philosophical text composed of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been compiled by his followers. ...

broadcast on

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...

* Wang Dezhao or Ouang Te Tchao, prominent Chinese physicist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, student of French physicist Paul Langevin and founder of

underwater acoustics Underwater acoustics (also known as hydroacoustics) is the study of the propagation of sound in water and the interaction of the mechanical waves that constitute sound with the water, its contents and its boundaries. The water may be in the oce ...

in China, Officier of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour. * Wang Xiaodong, elected member of the

United States National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, former biochemist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and currently Director and Investigator at the National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing (NIBS, Beijing) * Liang Jun, teacher and women's rights activist * Li Peng, a Chinese physiologist who is a professor at

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

, and currently president of Zhengzhou University. * Chang Kai, a Chinese physicist currently serving as research fellow at the Institute of Semiconductors,

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

(CAS). * Timothy Geithner, 75th

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

. He attended as a language student studying Mandarin in 1982 as an undergraduate at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. *

Kirsten Gillibrand Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand (; ; born December 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York since 2009 ...

, United States Senator from New York. She attended as an undergraduate in

's FSP program. *

Connie Britton Connie Britton (born Constance Elaine Womack; March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Her accolades include nominations for five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She gained prominence for her roles in the television series ''S ...

, actress. She also attended as a language student in

's FSP program and was the roommate of

Affiliated high schools

* Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University * The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University * The Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University

References

External links

BNU Official Site

MDJS BBS @BNU (, telnet, ssh)BNU Student Forum
{{authority control Teachers colleges in China Universities and colleges in Beijing Universities and colleges in Haidian District Universities and colleges in Guangdong Project 211 Project 985 Plan 111 Universities and colleges established in 1902 1902 establishments in China Zhuhai Vice-ministerial universities in China 1902 in Beijing