South China Normal University was established in 1933 as the Guangdong Provincial Xiangqin Normal College. It was renamed South China Normal University in 1982.
The university’s three campuses, Nanhai, Shipai, and University Town, are located in Guangzhou, the capital of the Guangdong province in southern China. Guangzhou is one of the country’s main commercial and trading centres due to its position at the meeting point of the Pearl River and the South China Sea. Guangzhou’s position near Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan benefits the university in its efforts to develop cultural and academic exchanges.
Students from over 20 countries study at the university every year. This is owing to the university’s partnerships with over 160 higher education institutions and research organisations in China and further afield.
There are over 35 schools and colleges in the university, with 87 undergraduate courses. There are also over 200 masters programmes and over 100 doctoral programmes.
With over 20 research institutes, the university is committed to the development of social science philosophy. Major research projects of the National Social Science Fund and the Ministry of Education, organised by the university, have been approved. This has made the university a hub of humanities and social sciences research within the Guangdong Province.
In 1996 the university became a member of Project 211, a national project seeking to establish the top 100 universities and colleges in China. The university endeavours to maintain this position by ensuring its students and staff adhere to its motto: "Foster the spirit of working hard; pursue studies with utmost rigour; seek truth from facts with innovation; and be a model of virtue for others".
