Founded in 1954, Chongqing Normal University (hereafter as CNU) is one of the first higher teachers colleges after the founding of P. R. China. CNU is the first group of institutions entitled to confer bachelor's degree and the third group to confer master's degree approved by the State Degree Committee of China. 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 and the Information Technology and Applied Distance Education Center of the Ministry of Education, P. R. China. After over 50 years development, CNU has developed into a comprehensive higher education institution with focusing on teachers training and harmoniously development of social science and natural science.

The university has a staff of more than 1700, among them there are over 550 professors and associate-professors, over 250 doctoral program and master program tutors, over 20 recipients of the Special Subsidy for Great Contribution of the Central Government, and over 30 well-known experts in the other fields.

At present, in the university, there are 22 colleges and departments, 45 programs for masters degree, among which there are 5 first level ones, 59 full time undergraduate programs. It has an enrollment of over 20,000 for full time study. So far it has formed a complete set of teacher education system with preschool education, primary school education, secondary education, higher education, further education, vocational and technical education, special education and teachers education for overseas Chinese.