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 of the PRC, 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 Construction Peak Plan of High-Level Universities.
Established in 1934 as the Jiangsu Provincial College of Health Policy and Management, NMU has evolved through several stages over the years. 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 Changzhou Campus--home to over 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), 2 members of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and 189 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 schools, including one independently established school, offering 25 undergraduate majors, 3 integrated bachelor’s-to-doctoral programs, and 3 integrated five-year bachelor’s and three-year master’s programs, with a total student body exceeding 24,000.
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. NMU’s admissions, education, and graduate employment services have earned widespread recognition from society. Its graduates rank among the top performers in the National Medical LicensingExamination compared with those from peer institutions nationwide, while their employment placement rate remains among the highest among peer universities in Jiangsu Province.
NMU has established over 50 national and provincial key laboratories, engineering research centers, and innovation centers, including the State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, the International Joint Research Center for Environment and Human Health, and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Personalized Medicine, co-established by the Ministry of Education and Jiangsu Province. 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.
In response to major national needs in the field of life and health, NMU has establishedprominent scientific and technological innovation teams, including the Basic Science Center and Innovation Research Groups. The university has undertakenmore than 100 major and key projects under various national science and technology programs, with representative research findings published in prestigious academic journals such as Nature and Science. These efforts have earned numerous national and provincial awards for scientific research achievements, including the Second Prize of the State Natural Science Award.
NMU upholds an “open-door” approach, fostering extensive collaborations with governments at various levels, 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 universities and research institutions in countries including the United States, Russia, Canada, and Japan, as well as in regions of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
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 efforts, innovative approaches, and reform initiatives, NMUstrives to distinguish itself as a distinctive Double First-Class medical university.
(Last updated: September 2026)
