# Beijing Normal University

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

In 1902,The university’s predecessor, the Department of Education of Imperial University of Peking(Chinese: 京师大学堂师范馆) was founded on the initiative of the Emperor of Qing Dynasty. It was the first university in China’s history with the main mission of training excellent teachers and specialists.
In 1908,The school was named as Supreme Education School of Peking(Chinese: 京师优级师范学堂) , and became independent.
In 1923,The name changed to National Beijing Normal University(Chinese: 国立北京师范大学校) , the first Normal University in China's history.
In 1931,The Peking Women's Normal University(Chinese: 北平女子师范大学) merged into Peking Normal University(Chinese: 北平师范大学) .
In 1949,The name changed to Beijing Normal University.
In 1952,Fu Jen Catholic University merged into Beijing Normal University.
In 1959, BNU was designated by the Ministry of Education as one of 20 national key universities of China.
In 1996,First enrolled "Project 211", a national project aiming at strengthening about 100 universities for the 21st century.
In 2002,Entered into "Project 985", a national project to bring a handful of elite universities to international prominence.
In 2009, Michael Wines referred to the university as "one of the most progressive institutions" in a New York Times article.
In 2017,BNU has been Listed in the “world-class universities”of Class A (36 universities), and 11 disciplines (8th in China) have been selected for China’s “Double-First Class” Initiative.
In August 2017, Guangdong Provincial Government, Zhuhai Municipal Government and Beijing Normal University signed the Agreement on Co-construction of Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai(Zhuhai Campus).
In April 2019, the Ministry of Education officially approved the establishment of Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai(Zhuhai Campus).

## Academics

* State Key Laboratories at Beijing Normal University
* State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning
* State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology

### 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, 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 study programs. Among its most prestigious programs is Princeton in Beijing, a collaboration with Princeton University 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 higher education and academic cooperation.

### Rankings and reputation

As of 2025, BNU was ranked first in China 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, 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 QS World University Rankings, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 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
* Academic Ranking of World Universities: 151-200th
* Times Higher Education World University Rankings: 146th and 9th in China

## Campus

The main campus is in the Haidian District, with other Beijing campuses in the Changping District and Xicheng District as well as a campus in Zhuhai, Guangdong.
The original campus was near Hepingmen and Liulichang in the center of Beijing during the Republic of China 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.
Its campus hosted the U.S. Olympic Team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

## Notable alumni

* Mo Yan, writer, 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate
* Liu Xiaobo, writer and dissident, 2010 Nobel Peace Prize 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 women's volleyball, and former head coach of the U.S. women's national volleyball team
* Chen Yibing, gymnast, 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics gold medalist
* Xu Jialu, professor of Chinese, politician, and former vice chairman of the National People's Congress
* 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 broadcast on China Central Television
* 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 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, 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, 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 (CAS).
* Timothy Geithner, 75th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He attended as a language student studying Mandarin in 1982 as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College.
* Kirsten Gillibrand, United States Senator from New York. She attended as an undergraduate in Dartmouth College's FSP program.
* Connie Britton, actress. She also attended as an language student in Dartmouth College's FSP program and was the roommate of Kirsten Gillibrand.

## 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