Guizhou University is the only key university in Guizhou prioritized to develop itself in line with the criteria of the "211 Project" .Its predecessor, Guizhou Institute of Higher Learning, was founded in 1902. Later, it was turned into Provincial Guizhou University, National Guizhou College of Agriculture and Engineering, and National Guizhou University in the process of its development. In November 1951, Mao Zedong, then chairman of the country, inscribed in person the Chinese name of Guizhou University. In August 1997 it was merged with Guizhou Agricultural College, Guizhou Institute of Arts, and Guizhou Agricultural Cadre-Training School. Seven years later in August 2004, it was merged again and formed the current new Guizhou University with Guizhou University of Technology.

Guizhou University covers a total area of 3328.5 hectors, comprising of 9 campuses in different areas in Guiyang City, the Capital of Guizhou Provinces, with two main campuses being located in Huaxi, a famous natural scenic spot. Its floorage amounts to 1.242 million square meters and its libraries hold a collection of 2.8 million books, journals, etc. The central node of the "China Education and Research Network" in Guizhou is set in the University, which has a complete website of its own to connect all the nine campuses.

The University consists of 24 colleges, containing 101 undergraduate specialties, 5 PhD programs, 80 Master's programs and 5 Master's programs for specialized subjects all are authorized to confer degrees. The disciplines cover 11 branches of learning: philosophy, economics, laws, education, liberal arts, history, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine and administration. The University has one state-level engineering and technical research center, one key laboratory jointly constructed by the State Ministry of Education and the Provincial Government, 18 provincial key disciplinary areas, 10 provincial key laboratories, 2 provincial bases for humanity and social science studies, and 3 state-level postdoctoral research stations for major projects. Presently, the total number of full-time students is over 60,000.

The University adheres to the policy, "developing itself by relying on talents", and consistently makes great efforts to consolidate the contingent of the teaching staff. Consequently, its staff members have been increased to 4,892, with 2,632 full-time teachers (249 full professors and 840 associate professors). More than 200 teachers have been selected and trained to be academic pacesetters, young and middle-aged core staff members for teaching and research. 

In the past 5 years, Guizhou University has undertaken 984 research studies, 796 of which are from a variety of national educational funds encouraging research, especially in the areas on the cutting-edge of Science and technology. With their successful work, the teaching and research staff have won 119 awards and 5 invention patents, published 137 monographs or textbooks and 6,031 research papers. In the process of tackling the national key difficulties in science and technology, they have created remarkable economic benefits of more than RMB 3 billion Yuan for the society.

Guizhou University always places importance to develop international cooperation and exchanges. So far, the University has established cooperative and exchange relations with more than 20 academic institutions in such countries and regions as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom., Australia, France, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macao, etc. To maintain and develop these relations, Guizhou University receives visitors from these institutions and other areas.

 The University has engaged foreign teachers and experts for teaching, lecture tours and academic exchange meetings. It has also enrolled oversea students from different countries to study Chinese and other courses in degree and non-degree academic programs. Through sending teachers and researchers overseas to study and research collaboratively with the foreign counterparts, degree study, or attending international academic workshop, Guizhou University has been better known worldwide. Therefore the progress of internationalization has been accelerated. Embracing international cooperation and friendship£¬Guizhou University cherishes this same ideal with its foreign counterparts, and makes great efforts for mutual development. Day by day, the university provides a more ideal and satisfactory platform for numerous students to conduct their studies, for experts and scholars to deliver their lectures, and for researchers to been engaged in their undertakings.

Figuratively speaking, Guizhou University is getting out of the surrounding mountains and gearing itself along international standards. It¡¯s aiming to fulfill its dream of becoming one of the leading universities in the country, taking great strides to rejuvenate the Guizhou Province.

Pursuing its goal of becoming an even higher-level university for those at home and abroad, the university is reaching to grasp the mantle of academic leadership in western China. Guizhou University¡¯s vision of the future is well grounded in the successes of its past in meeting the challenging of its own 100 plus year history.