Hunan University of Chinese Medicine (HUCM) is a key undergraduate university in Hunan Province, one of the first Chinese medicine colleges in China to set up national key disciplines, and one of the first Chinese medicine universities to enroll doctoral students, international students, and students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. HUCM is situated in Changsha, a renowned historical and cultural city. It has two campuses located in Hanpu and Dongtang, covering a total area of 678,667 square meters. It consists of 15 undergraduate teaching colleges, Graduate College，International Education Institute，School of Continuing Education, and Xiangxing College (independent college). Additionally, it oversees one asset management limited company, 15 affiliated hospitals-two of which are directly under its affiliation-and 27 teaching hospitals. The university is currently led by Party Secretary Dai Aiguo, and President Yi Gangqiang.
HUCM, originally established as Hunan Chinese Medicinal college in 1934. In 1960, it became an undergraduate institution known as Hunan College of Chinese Medicine. After a merger with Hunan institute of Chinese Medicine in 1965 and its subsequent restoration in 1972. It then merged with the former Hunan University of Science and Technology in 1990. In 2002, it merged with Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine (which regained its independence in 2022). In 2006, it took on its current name, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, with the approval of the Ministry of Education. Since 2012, it has been part of the first-class undergraduate enrollment sequence of Hunan Province. In 2018, it was included in the "Domestic First-Class University Initiative" of Hunan Province. In 2022, it was listed in the "Double First-Class Initiative" of Hunan Province. In 2020, it was set as the “Three All-Round Education” comprehensive reform unit; in 2022, it became the provincial demonstration university for party building work; in 2023, it was awarded the “Hunan Labour Day Medal”. In 2023, the university excelled in the undergraduate education and teaching assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education, marking a significant shift from being application-oriented to being academically focused.
Looking ahead, HUCM retains committed to its motto of "civilization, truth-seeking, inheritance, and innovation", and the spirit of "people-orientation, benevolence, and sincerity", and it continues to embrace the principle of "quality-oriented, distinctive, and open education" while fulfilling its mission to promote the TCM inheritance and innovation in service of human health and socio-economic development. With a global perspective, rooted in Hunan and China, the university strives to accelerate its development as a highly competent institution in education, science and technology, talent cultivation, cultural exchange, quality enhancement, and industrial collaboration. Through comprehensive reforms, enhanced internal development, and the pursuit of high-quality goals, HUCM is on its way to becoming a world-class, internationally renowned teaching and research university with distinctive TCM characteristics.
HUCM boasts comprehensive educational system. Building upon its undergraduate education, the university also vigorously develops graduate and continuing education, actively enrolls students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, overseas Chinese communities, and international students studying in China, and moderately offers continuing education. There are 30845 students (including 20362 full-time undergraduates, 6277 Xiangxing College full-time undergraduates,3453 master’s students, 505 doctoral students, 248 international students). The university offers 34 undergraduate majors, covering six disciplines-medicine, science, engineering, management, humanities, and education-HUCM ensures a broad range of educational opportunities. Currently, it hosts three post-doctoral research stations, three doctoral degree authorization sites for first-level disciplines, 24 doctoral degree authorization sites for second-level disciplines, and one doctoral professional degree authorization site; there are also nine master’s degree authorization sites for first-level disciplines, 70 master’s degree authorization sites for second-level disciplines, and ten professional master’s degree authorization sites. Since 2000, HUCM has been a pioneer in long-term undergraduate and master's degree training in Chinese medicine (seven-year system); in 2015, it was adjusted to the long-term training of Chinese medicine ("5+3" integration) system.In 2024,the university was granted to initiate a pilot program for the education of top-notch talents in Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine (elite class, 5+4 integrated system).
HUCM prominently features Chinese medicine in its development.