Founded in 1902, Guizhou University (GZU) was originally known as Guizhou Institute of Higher Learning. 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 October 1950, it got its present name, Guizhou University. In November 1951, Mao Zedong, the then chairman of the country, inscribed in person the Chinese name of Guizhou University. In August 2004, it was merged and formed the current Guizhou University with Guizhou University of Technology. In December of the same year, the Provincial Government signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to co-build Guizhou University. In September 2005, it was approved to be one of the key "211 Project" universities.

   At present, GZU has a full-time enrollment of 44588 undergraduates, 7233 postgraduates, 9415 adult students, and 291 international students. Among the staff of 4198, there are 2530 full-time teachers, including 381 PhD owners, 1083 Master degree owners, 383 full professors, 854 associate professors, 1 academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 concurrent academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5 state-level middle-aged or young experts, 5 candidates of state-level New Century Million-and-10-Million-Talents Project, 1 member of discipline appraisal group of the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council, 8 members of the National Instructive Committee of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, 10 new century outstanding science and technology talents, 6 first-batch key provincial experts, 56 province-managed experts, 54 province-level young science and technology talents, and 25 famous teachers of higher education of Guizhou Province.

   The university consists of 24 colleges and 2 public education departments. There are 137 undergraduate specialties, covering 11 branches of learning such as philosophy, economics, laws, liberal arts, history, science, engineering, agriculture and administration.

   The university has 1 state-level key subject, i.e. Pesticide Science, 24 provincial key subjects, 3 postdoctoral research stations. GZU offers 8 First-level and 36 Second-level Disciplines for PhD granting, 46 First-level and 201 Second-level Disciplines for Master's Degree Granting, and 10 Master's programs for specialized subjects. GZU also offers on-the-job MA programs for teachers of universities and secondary schools.

   GZU has laid much emphasis on the quality of teaching. It has developed 2 state-level and 4 provincial excellent teaching teams, 1 national High-quality Course, 1 bilingual demonstration course approved by the Ministry of Education and 29 provincial High-quality Courses.

   During the 11th Five-year Plan Period, GZU has undertaken 2086 research projects (the total funds being 603 million yuan RMB) at provincial or ministry level, among which 317 are funded by the State 973 Program, 863 Program, National Natural Science Foundation or National Social Sciences Foundation, and 1530 are provincial programs. There are 251 awards at or above provincial level, including 2 Second-Class Prize of National Sci-Tech Advancement, 142 patents of invention and utility models, 375 published academic monographs, 14994 academic papers (of which 861 are collected by SCI, EI and ISTP). In 2006, GZU won the title of National Advanced University in Sci-Tech Innovation.

   The university publishes such research journals as Journal of Guizhou University (which constitutes three editions, namely, natural sciences, social sciences and arts), Journal of Mountain Agriculture and Biology, and Forum of Education and Culture. The university is the only one in Guizhou that has its own publishing house.

   GZU always places importance on developing international cooperation and exchanges. So far, the University has established cooperative relations with more than 100 academic institutions in over 40 countries and regions. GZU is a base of international education aid authorized by the Ministry of Education, an institution offering Chinese Government Scholarship Programs, and a base of international cooperation in science and technology authorized by the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 2009, GZU established Guizhou’s first Confucius Institute in Presbyterian College, U.S.. Four sessions of “China-ASEAN Educational Cooperation Week” have been successfully organized by GZU since 2008. The university also plays an important role in such international organizations as IAUP and AUAP.

   In recent years, the university has been awarded lots of honorable titles by the state for its contribution to spiritual civilization, greening, etc.

   Along its over one-hundred-year history, Guizhou University has always exerted itself to uphold learning and cultivate students. Based on the needs of Guizhou Province, the University has cultivated over 220,000 graduates in various fields as well as the spirit of “Hard work and ceaseless self-improvement”. The university motto is “Illustrious virtue, utmost goodness, extensive learning and earnest practice.” Great emphasis is also laid on preciseness, diligence, practicality and innovation, under the guidance of which talents have been educated and cultivated, which has in turn contributed a lot to the economic and social development of Guizhou Province.