The history of Wuhan University can be traced back to Ziqiang Institute, which was founded in 1893 by Zhang Zhidong, the then governor of Hubei and Hunan Provinces in the late Qing Dynasty, after his memorial to the throne was approved. In the process of development and evolution, the institute changed its name several times before it was finally named National Wuhan University in 1928. It is one of the earliest comprehensive national universities in modern China. By the end of 1946, the university had established 6 colleges, i.e. the colleges of liberal arts, law, sciences, engineering, agriculture and medicine. In 1999, the world renowned journal Science listed Wuhan University as one of the most prominent institutions of higher education in China.

The university, covering an area of 222 hectares, boasts picturesque surroundings and spectacular landscapes, and it is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful universities in the world. With the scenic Luojia Hill in it and the beautiful East Lake by its side, the campus is full of green trees, fragrant flowers and lovely birds all the year round. Grand modern buildings are in harmony with magnificent architectures of classical style.
Wuhan University offers degrees in 11 major fields, namely philosophy, economics, law, education, literature, history, sciences, engineering, agriculture, medicine and management. The university consists of 6 divisions, i.e., humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, information science and medicine, covering 36 schools and 3 A-level Grade Ⅲ affiliated hospitals. It now has 108 undergraduate programs, 281 master programs, 200 PH.D. Programs and 29 post-doctoral programs.22 disciplines at the university have been evaluated as state-level key disciplines.

Prominent scholars and esteemed professors gather on the campus. The university now has 3,531 faculty members, including 2,212 professors and associate professors, 4 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 8 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 3 academicians of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, 8 senior professors of arts and social sciences, and 3 lead scientists of the National 975 Project.

The university has great strengths in scientific research. It owns 4 state-level key laboratories, 2 national research centers of engineering, and 7 national research centers of arts and social sciences.

Aiming to be a research-based, internationalized institution, the university attaches importance to the training of students with international competitiveness, while greatly promoting postgraduate education. Currently, the total number of full-time students reaches 54,000, including 16,000 postgraduates and 1,337 international students.

With outstanding academic accomplishments, the university enjoys a favorable international reputation. The university has established relations of academic cooperation and exchanges with over 300 universities, colleges and scientific research institutions in more than 60 countries and regions. While passing on the glorious tradition of over 100 years and facing challenges and opportunities in the new era, the university has set the general guidelines of building itself into a first-rate, well-known university both at home and abroad.