South China Normal University (SCNU) was originally known as Guangdong Provincial Xiangqin Normal College and has historical roots traceable to the establishment of the Gezhi Academy in 1888. Distinguished educators including Lin Liru, He Jie, Du Guoxiang, Chen Weishi, Wang Yanshi and Ma Xiaoyun have served as college presidents, and many prominent figures across arts, sciences and public life were educated at SCNU. Over the past nine decades, the university has trained more than 900,000 teachers and professionals in other industries.

SCNU is organized into 53 schools and academic units that cover 12 subject categories. The university offers 97 undergraduate programs, 32 firstlevel disciplines authorized to confer master’s degrees, 26 professional master’s programs, and 20 firstlevel disciplines authorized to confer doctorates, along with an additional professional doctoral program. There are currently over 30,000 fulltime undergraduates, approximately 13,000 master’s students and about 1,500 PhD students enrolled. SCNU has been approved for 45 nationallevel firstclass undergraduate major construction sites and 19 provinciallevel firstclass sites. In total, 57 undergraduate courses were recognized at the national firstclass level and 185 at provincial firstclass level. Selected programs such as Physics and Psychology are included in highprofile national student training programs.

The university employs about 5,500 faculty and staff, including 2,600 fulltime teachers. Among these, 1,400 hold professor or associate professor titles. Faculty honors include six academicians (including dualemployed and foreignemployed), recipients of national talent awards such as the National “Four Youth Talents” award, and participants in major national talent programs. SCNU also supports nationallevel teacher teams, national teaching teams, and recipients of national teaching awards.

SCNU hosts national research platforms such as the National Center for International Research on Green Optoelectronics and the Engineering Research Center for High Power Safe Lithiumion Battery Electrolyte and Diaphragm Materials. Beyond these, there are 66 science and technology research platforms — including key laboratories and engineering research centers under the Ministry of Education — and 56 research platforms for humanities and social sciences. The university has received national recognition in research, including State Natural Science Awards and State Technological Invention Awards, as well as multiple awards for outstanding research in higher education in the humanities and social sciences. Important archaeological findings — such as Shang Dynasty oracle bone inscriptions and other relics — were associated with SCNU research activity.

Teacher education at SCNU covers general, special and vocational education involving preschool, primary and secondary levels. Teacher training programs are offered at undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels, and SCNU operates numerous affiliated kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. The university has won 15 National Teaching Achievement Awards and seven basic education achievement awards, ranking first among teacher training universities in China.

In international academic engagement, SCNU has established partnerships with over 100 higher education institutions worldwide and enrolls international students from over 110 countries and regions. The university participates in international research collaborations, joined global research groups like LHCb, BESIII, STAR and CMS, and established international joint laboratories with universities in countries such as the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium. SCNU has also built eight overseas research bases and postgraduate teaching centers in regions including Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia. It operates Confucius Institutes in Coquitlam (Canada), Reunion (France) and Latvia, with two awarded “Excellent Confucius Institute of the Year”.

SCNU maintains close cooperation with educational sectors of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, including training the majority of teachers in Macao and establishing crossregional teacher education alliances. The university’s Aberdeen Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, created in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, represents its first Sinoforeign joint institute offering an undergraduate program in artificial intelligence.