Nanjing Medical University (NMU), selected for China’s prestigious “Double First-Class” Initiative, is among the earliest medical colleges jointly constructed by the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission, and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government. NMU is also home to a top-tier School of Public Health, officially recognized by the Ministry of Education, and holds an A-level status under the Jiangsu High-Level University Construction Peak Plan.

Established in 1934 as the Jiangsu Provincial College of Health Policy and Management, NMU has undergone several transformations. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945), it was renamed National Jiangsu Medical College. In 1957, the university relocated from Zhenjiang to Nanjing, assuming the title of Nanjing Medical College. In 1962, it was among the first medical colleges in China to offer six-year medical education programs. In 1981, it became one of the pioneering institutions in the country authorized to confer doctoral and master’s degrees. And it was in 1993 that it was officially designated as Nanjing Medical University.

Currently, NMU consists of three campuses--Jiangning Campus, Wutai Campus and the soon-to-open Changzhou Campus--home to nearly 2,000 faculty members. The university hosts 8 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (including their respective workstations), 1 foreign academician from the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, 2 members of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and 175 nationally recognized high-level talents. NMU has 7 national-level teaching teams, including 3 recognized as Huang Danian-style Teacher Teams, 1 national-level ideological and political education demonstration team, 1 Innovation Team appointed by the Ministry of Education, and 3 national innovation research groups.  

The university offers 7 first-level disciplines and 54 second-level disciplines authorized for doctoral degrees, along with 6 interdisciplinary doctoral programs, and 6 professional doctoral programs. At the master’s level,NMU provides 12 first-level disciplines and 63 second-level disciplines. Moreover, the university operates 6 postdoctoral research mobile stations, spanning 7 disciplines encompassing medicine, science, engineering, management, law, education, and literature.

NMU is home to 3 national key disciplines, 1 national key (nurturing) discipline, 40 national clinical key specialties, and 6 disciplines designated as Jiangsu Universities’ Advantageous Disciplines (Phase IV). In the latest national discipline assessment, its overall academic prowess has shown steady advancement. 14of its disciplines ranked in the top 1% globally according to ESI, with clinical medicine and pharmacology & toxicology,molecular biology and genetics, and biology and biochemistry disciplines in the top 1‰.

The university comprises 19 colleges, including one independently established secondary college, offering 25 undergraduate majors, 3 integrated bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral programs, and 3 “5+3” integrated bachelor’s and master’s programs, with a total student body exceeding 23,000.

NMU has been designated as a 2.0Base for the Top-notch StudentsTrainingProgram in Basic Disciplines by the Ministry of Education. Approximately 80% of its majors have been approved as national-level first-class undergraduate majors. The university has established numerous national-level teaching platforms and course resources, earning 8 national-level teaching achievement awards, including 1 first prize. Widely praised across various sectors of society, NMU’s enrollment, teaching qualify, and graduate employment practices are highly regarded. Its graduates consistently excel in the physician qualification examination, ranking among the top in comparable institutions nationwide, while their employment placement rate remains among the highest of peer institutions in Jiangsu Province.

NMU has established over 50 national and provincial key laboratories, engineering research centers, and innovation hubs, including the National Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Reproductive Health, the International Joint Research Center for Environment and Human Health, and the Provincial and Ministerial Co-construction Collaborative Innovation Center for Personalized Medicine for Tumors. It also operatesone of China’s premier medical simulation education centers and the JiangsuAnimal Experimental Center of Medical & Pharmaceutical Research, as well as the only provincial-level health policy think tank in Jiangsu Province, known as the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Health.

Actively addressing major national challenges in the realm of life and health, NMU has establishedprominent scientific and technological innovation teams, including the Basic Science Center and other innovation research groups. The university engages in nearly 100 major and key national science and technology projects, regularly publishing groundbreaking research findings in prestigious journals such as Nature and Science. These efforts have earned numerous national and provincial awards, including the National Natural Science Second Prize.

NMU upholds an “open-door” approach, fostering extensive collaborations with governments, higher education institutions, research organizations, and social groups both in China and abroad. The university has established robust strategic partnerships and academic exchange programs with medical colleges and research institutions in countries including the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan, as well as in regions of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, NMUhas upheld the guiding principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, focusing on developing first-class disciplines, top-tier affiliated hospitals, and high-quality educational infrastructure. Through coordinated strategic efforts, innovation, and reform initiatives, NMUstrives to distinguish itself as a distinctive Double First-Class medical university.

(Last updated: May 2026)