Wuhan University
Public
Motto langzh-hans
MottoengSelf-improvement, Perseverance, Truth-seeking, Innovation[1]
EstablishedIncorporated as a university in 1926
PresidentZhang Pingwen
CityWuhan
ProvinceHubei
CountryChina
Students58,720
Faculty7,325
CampusUrban, 3.5 km2
Websiteen.whu.edu.cn
Wuhan University
S武汉大学
T武漢大學
PWǔhàn Dàxué
Orderst

Wuhan University (WHU) is a public university in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 985, Project 211, and Double First-Class Construction.[2]

History

In 1926, National Wuchang University, National Wuchang University of Commerce, Hubei Provincial Medical University, Hubei Provincial University of Legislation, Hubei Provincial University of Liberal Arts, and the private Wuchang Zhonghua University were merged into National Wuchang Sun Yat-sen University (also known as National Second Sun Yat-sen University).

The school has an undergraduate department and 6 subjects including liberal arts, science, law, economics, medicine, and preparatory courses, 17 departments, and 2 institutes.[3][4][5][6]

In 1928, the Nanjing National Government officially established the National Wuhan University based on the former National Wuchang Sun Yat-sen University, with four colleges: liberal arts, law, science, and engineering.[3][4][5][6]

In 1949, National Wuhan University was taken over by the Communist Party and renamed Wuhan University.[3][4]

The School of Information Management at Wuhan University signed a cooperation agreement with Royal School of Library and Information Science in Denmark in 2009.[7][8]

Wuhan University collaborated with Duke University in the US and the city of Kunshan to establish Duke Kunshan University in 2013.[9][10] The first undergraduates were admitted in 2018 and the agreement between Wuhan and Duke is due to expire in 2028, with Duke coming under pressure from US Members of Congress to withdraw from the collaboration.[11]

In 2026, Wuhan University established a joint institute with Durham University in the UK as its first Sino-foreign joint institute within the university rather than as an independent legal entity. This offers four-year undergraduate courses leading to a double degree awarded by both universities.[12][13][14]

Campus

Main article: Early buildings of Wuhan University

Most stylish old buildings were designed by F. H. Kales (1899–1979).[15]

In 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army planted the first batch of cherry trees in Wuhan University (WHU), to relieve the homesickness of their troops. These trees were preserved after the war ended, despite their historical links.[16]

Later, in 1972, to mark the normalisation of China-Japan relations, another batch of cherry trees was offered to Premier Zhou Enlai, who gave 20 trees to WHU. The WHU website describes subsequent donations in 1983 by biology professor Wang Mingquan, who studied in Kyoto, and by a Japanese delegation in 1992.[16]

Academics

In 2024, Wuhan University's student body consisted of 29,488 full-time undergraduates and 24,126 full-time master's degree candidates, more than 10,000 doctoral candidates, 3,007 international students and 3,940 faculty staff.[17]

Reputation and rankings

Wuhan University
Bcur n8
Ws n6
Cuaa n10
Qs n9
The n8
Line 10
Qs a38
The a24
Line 20
Arwu w81
Qs w186
The w=122
Usnwr w90

From 2025 to 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 90th in the world, 17th in Asia and 10th in China.[18]

In 2025, Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked it 81st in the world, 15th in Asia and 11th in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).[19]

In 2025, Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it #122 in the world 8th in China.[20]

In 2025, QS World University Rankings ranked it 186th in the world, 38th in Asia and 9th in China.[21]

The Nature Index 2025 ranked Wuhan University the # 17 university in the Asia-Pacific region, and #23 in the world.[22] The 2025 CWTS Leiden Ranking ranked Wuhan University #16 in the world by total publications and #31 in the world based on the number of their scientific publications belonging to the top 1% in their fields for the time period 2020–2023.[23]

As of 2017, 29 billionaires had graduated from Wuhan University, ranking 9th nationally.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Overview". Wuhan U. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  2. ^ "WHU History-Wuhan University". en.whu.edu.cn. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  3. ^ "历史上的今天｜国立武汉大学建立_腾讯新闻". Tencent News. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  4. ^ "武汉大学校史争议_光明网". Guangming Daily. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  5. ^ "武大教师驳"武大120年校史依据充分" 称存论证缺陷--教育--人民网". edu.people.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  6. ^ "武大教师批驳武大校史做假：吾爱吾校吾更爱真理". www.cernet.edu.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  7. ^ "Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi – Københavns Universitet". Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi – Københavns Universitet". Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Duke Names Senior Leadership for Its Campus in China", The Chronicle of Higher Education Sept 20, 2012 [1]
  10. ^ Duke Chronicle Wuhan steps in to sponsor China campus
  11. ^ "House committee leaders call on Duke to end DKU over national security concerns". Duke Chronicle. 16 May 2025.
  12. ^ Liu Kun & Chen Meiling (18 March 2026). "Wuhan University, Durham University launch joint institute". China Daily
  13. ^ "Newly approved UK-China TNE partnerships in Dec 2025". British Council. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  14. ^ Fan Zitong (18 March 2026). "Wuhan University, Durham University inaugurate joint institute". China Daily. – via PressReader
  15. ^ Sir Banister Fletcher's a history of architecture, Architectural Press, 1996.
  16. ^ "[Photo story] Cherry blossoms are blooming in Wuhan, but is it spring yet?". ThinkChina - Big reads, Opinion & Columns on China. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  17. ^ "Wuhan University". Top Universities. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  18. ^ "2025-26 U.S. News & World Report Ranking - Wuhan University". US News and World Report. 2025-06-17. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  19. ^ "ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities". www.shanghairanking.com. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  20. ^ "Wuhan University". Times Higher Education (THE). 2025-03-29. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  21. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2026: Top global universities". Top Universities. 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  22. ^ "2025 Research Leaders: Leading academic institutions | Nature Index". www.nature.com. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  23. ^ Studies (CWTS), Centre for Science and Technology. "CWTS Leiden Ranking Traditional Edition". CWTS Leiden Ranking Traditional Edition. Retrieved 2026-03-20.
  24. ^ "Top 10 Chinese universities with most billionaire alumni". www.chinadaily.com.cn. 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2017-08-29.