Founded in 1954, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine (NJUCM) is a national “Double First-Class” university and a Class A institution under Jiangsu’s “High-Level University Peak Plan”. It is co-established by the Ministry of Education, the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province, and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM). As one of the earliest higher education institutions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China, NJUCM trained and produced the first group of faculty members, compiled the first set of TCM textbooks, and formulated the first teaching syllabus for higher TCM education in the country. The university has made pioneering contributions to the establishment and promotion of higher TCM education in China and is thus honored as “the cradle of higher education in traditional Chinese medicine”.
The university operates three campuses—Xianlin, Hanzhongmen, and Taizhou—and comprises 11 schools as well as affiliated teaching and clinical units such as the First, Second, and Third Clinical Medical Schools, and the Gulou Clinical Medical School. It currently has 22,154 enrolled students, including 14,180 undergraduates, 6,626 master’s students, 900 doctoral students, and 433 international students, along with 2,109 faculty and staff members. NJUCM also has 15 affiliated hospitals and three affiliated pharmaceutical enterprises.
NJUCM adheres to a development framework that features traditional Chinese medicine as its core, integrates Chinese and Western medicine, and supports multidisciplinary coordination. Upholding the educational philosophy of “Integrating Chinese and Western learning with utmost professionalism and sincerity,” the university emphasizes both the inheritance and innovation of TCM essence. Currently, NJUCM has one national “Double First-Class” discipline, four Jiangsu Advantage Disciplines, eight Provincial Key Disciplines under the 14th Five-Year Plan, and 13 High-Level Key TCM Disciplines designated by the NATCM. It was among the first universities in China authorized to confer doctoral and master’s degrees, with five first-level doctoral degree programs, one professional doctoral degree program, 12 first-level master’s degree programs, nine professional master’s programs, and four postdoctoral research stations.
In the fifth round of national discipline evaluation by the Ministry of Education, NJUCM achieved outstanding results, ranking among the top nationwide in core disciplines such as Chinese Medicine and Chinese Materia Medica. Eight disciplines—including Pharmacology and Toxicology, Clinical Medicine, Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry, Neuroscience and Behavior, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Agricultural Science, and Immunology—are ranked in the top 1% of the ESI global list, with Pharmacology and Toxicology in the top 0.1% worldwide. The university consistently ranks among the leading TCM universities in China in various global university rankings such as ESI, ShanghaiRanking (ARWU), Nature Index, and U.S. News Best Global Universities.
NJUCM implements the strategy of “strengthening the university through talent”, supported by a strong and diverse faculty. The university boasts academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, National Masters of TCM, national leading talents, young national scholars, and chief scientists of major national projects such as the National Key R&D Program, Major Science and Technology Programs, 973 Program, and National Social Science Fund Major Projects. Many of its scholars serve as members of the Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of the State Council, National Teaching Masters, Famous TCM Physicians, Qihuang Scholars, and National-level candidates of the “Ten Thousand Talents Program”. Together, they form a first-class, innovative, and dynamic academic team with strong potential for development.
NJUCM continues to deepen educational reform and focuses on cultivating high-caliber talents with both moral integrity and professional excellence. The university offers 25 undergraduate programs across medicine, management, science, and engineering, including 10 national first-class undergraduate programs, 19 provincial first-class programs, and 11 Jiangsu brand specialties. Through partnerships with renowned research institutes and enterprises—such as the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and Kangyuan Pharmaceutical Co., NJUCM jointly trains “Excellent Doctors”, “Excellent Scientists”, and “Excellent Engineers”, including elite programs like the Five-Year-Doctoral TCM Innovation Program and the Tu Youyou Class for top TCM researchers.
Focusing on national strategic needs, NJUCM integrates scientific innovation with social development. It hosts numerous high-level research platforms, including the National Key Laboratory for Process Control and Intelligent Manufacturing of Chinese Medicine, NDRC Engineering Research Center, MOE Key Laboratories and Engineering Centers, Jiangsu Provincial Collaborative Innovation Centers, Philosophy and Social Science Research Bases, and a National Technology Transfer Demonstration Center. The university consistently ranks among the top TCM institutions nationwide in terms of the number of major national science and technology projects, National Natural Science Foundation, and National Social Science Foundation grants undertaken.
Committed to internationalization, NJUCM actively advances the global development of TCM education and culture. On June 20, 2010, President Xi Jinping attended the unveiling ceremony of the TCM Confucius Institute jointly established by NJUCM and RMIT University, delivering a keynote speech that highly recognized the university’s achievements. NJUCM is among the first TCM universities authorized by the Ministry of Education to admit international students from all academic levels—from Chinese language training to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. It serves as a WHO Collaborating Center for Traditional Medicine, an International Acupuncture Training Center, a National Base for TCM Service Export, and a Training Base for TCM Education in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The university has trained more than 10,000 international students, and established academic and cooperative relations with over 90 universities, research institutions, and organizations worldwide. It has jointly established two TCM Confucius Institutes, four National Overseas TCM Centers, six overseas branches of the International Jingfang Academy, and six joint international education programs. It also co-founded the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine–University of Otago Smart Health College, a Sino-foreign cooperative education institution.
With continued progress in international education, scientific collaboration, and talent cultivation, NJUCM’s global reputation in TCM keeps expanding. Notably, with NJUCM’s support, the Swiss University of Chinese Medicine was established as the only officially recognized TCM university in Switzerland and the first independent TCM university in Europe authorized to grant bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Chinese Medicine.
Standing at a new stage of development, NJUCM remains committed to implementing new development concepts and building a new development pattern. Rooted in Jiangsu, oriented toward the nation, and open to the world, the university will persist in characteristic development and pursuit of excellence, striving to become a world-class university of Chinese medicine with distinct Chinese characteristics, style, and spirit.
(Data updated to September 2025)
Campuses:
•Xianlin Campus: No. 138 Xianlin Avenue, Qixia District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023
•Hanzhongmen Campus: No. 282 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029
•Taizhou Campus: No. 6 Kuangshi Road, Taizhou Medical High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Jiangsu, 225300
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