Founded in 1954, Chongqing Normal University (hereafter as “CNU”) is a full-time comprehensive institution of higher education under the leadership of Chongqing Municipal Government of P. R. China. CNU covers an area of over 190 hectares (2800 mu). It is a higher education institution authorized to award Master’s and Bachelor’s degree with the approval of the Degree Awarding commission of the State Council, P. R. China. Currently, there are 17 colleges, 80 master's degree programs, 63 under-graduate programs concerning literature, science, economics, management, art, physical education, etc., forming an educational system which is able to train postgraduates, undergraduates and overseas students. Currently, there are over 28,000 students enrolled and over 1700 teachers including more than 650 professors and associate professors.

CNU is entitled by the Ministry of Education，P.R. China to enroll overseas students. It is appointed as the only “Chinese Language Education Center for Overseas Chinese” in west China by the Office for Overseas Chinese Affairs of the State Council, the only “National Key Vocational Teachers Training Center” of the Ministry of Education in Chongqing, the “Information Technology and Applied Distance Education Center” of the Ministry of Education, P. R. China，and the “Teacher Training Base for International Promotion of Chinese (Chongqing)” of the Confucius Institute Headquarters. The university, featured in teachers’ education, has developed into a comprehensive university. A fairly complete teachers’ education system has been formed including pre-school education, primary school education, middle school education, higher education, continuing education, vocational and technical education, special education, and teachers training for overseas Chinese language education.

Grasping the tendency of educational globalization, CNU perseveres in the mode of “open university”. The university has successively established cooperation and exchange relationship with education institutions in over 20 countries such as USA, Russia, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Malaysia and Indonesia. It has set up institutions such as Mandarin Teachers Colleges in UK and Indonesia, and Confucius Institutes in UK, Sri Lanka and Rwanda. It has successfully exchanged students to Russia Voronezh Normal University, Hiroshima Culture University, Japan and Shinshu University, Japan.

Each year, there are more than 400 overseas students studying in CNU. Besides, CNU organizes winter/ summer camps every year. So far, about one thosand overseas students have participated in the camps. Confucius Institute Scholarship and The Chongqing Municipal Government Mayor Scholarship are available for application in CNU.

CNU attaches great importance to overseas students’ education and administration in a way of classified teaching and human-based management, insisting on classification teaching and humanization management. International Students Office enjoys much popularity with overseas students as their home in China, and gets the widely acclaimed by them. CNU took the lead in Chongqing to set up International College of Chinese Language and Culture, to provide better education and administration for Chinese language training students. The college offers favorable learning environment for the students to remove language obstacles as soon as possible with small-sized classes and special tutoring.