Jishou University is located in the scenic Xiangxi Prefecture and Zhangjiajie City. It is one of the three comprehensive universities under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province and the only comprehensive university in the Wuling Mountain Area. It is jointly established by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission and the People's Government of Hunan Province. It admits students in the first - batch admission category, is a general university that recommends outstanding fresh undergraduate graduates for postgraduate study without entrance examination, a doctoral - degree - awarding unit, a university under high - level construction in Hunan Province, and a university included in the "Double First - Class" initiative in Hunan Province.

The university was founded in 1958 with the approval of Zhou Enlai, the first premier of the People's Republic of China. In 2000, the former Jishou Health School was merged into it; in 2002, the former Wuling College was incorporated; in 2024, the Normal College of Jishou University was fully and substantially integrated. The university's educational history can be traced back to the Wuxi Academy founded by Wu He, a disciple of the Ming - dynasty thinker Wang Yangming and an educator, in 1553.

The university currently has about 36,000 full - time students and more than 1,800 in - service faculty members, among whom 756 hold senior professional titles. Jishou University provides 75 undergraduate programs in 11 major disciplinaries, 22 teaching colleges, and 41 first-level disciplines.. Jishou University has 38 master’s degree authorization points, emcompassing both academic and professional degree categories, and three doctorate degree authorization points for first - level disciplines. Additionally, it features two post - doctoral research stations. The university has established 62teaching and research platforms at the national and provincial levels.

In the fifth round of the discipline assessment by the Ministry of Education, two disciplines and one professional degree program of the university were rated at the B - level. The disciplines of Chemistry and Engineering have risen into the top 1% globally in the ESI rankings. According to Clarivate, four scholars have been included in the list of the world's top 2% top scientists, and one scholar has been included among the highly cited scientists.. The university ranks among the top 7% of national universities in terms of competition performance. The number of approved projects of the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Social Science Foundation of China ranks among the top in comparable universities in Hunan Province.

The university earnestly implements the fundamental task of cultivating people with virtue, unswervingly follows the path of high - quality development, adheres to the strategies of building the university with culture, strengthening the university with disciplines, and revitalizing the university with characteristics. It has formed the school motto of "Building a renowned university with outstanding people and serving the country with achievements" and the spirit of "Soaring high like a phoenix and spreading knowledge far and wide". Actively serving theregional socioeconomic development, the university is dedicated to cultivating "high-quality, application-oriented talents with excellent moral character, strong practical abilities, diligence, and great potential for future development." To date, it has nurtured over 380,000 such talents. Its achievements have been recognized by multiple state leaders, including former Premier Zhu Rongji, former Vice President Zeng Qinghong, former Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary Wei Jianxing, former Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary He Guoqiang, former Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin, and former Secretary of the Central Propaganda Department Liu Yunshan. Former Premier Zhu Rongji particularly praised, "Jishou University is the pride of Hunan Province."

In recent years, the university has expanded its international collaborations, establishing partnerships with institutions in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and other countries. It has also enrolled international students from Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, Thailand,  Vietnam, and elsewhere.

Looking forward, Jishou University is accelerating its "Double First-Class" initiative and implementing the "Three Expansions and Four Enhancements" development strategy. It aims to build itself into a distinctive, high-level teaching and research-oriented comprehensive university, establishing itself as a talent hub and innovation engine for the Wuling Mountain area in the new era.

 

吉首大学在风景如画的湘西州、张家界市两地办学，是湖南省属三所综合性大学之一、武陵山片区唯一的综合性大学，是国家民委与湖南省人民政府共建高校、一本批次录取高校、推荐优秀应届本科毕业生免试攻读硕士学位研究生普通高校、博士学位授权单位、湖南省高水平建设大学、湖南省双一流建设高校。

学校创办于1958年，由共和国第一任总理周恩来亲自批复设立，2000年原吉首卫生学校并入，2002年原武陵高等专科学校并入，2024年吉首大学师范学院整体实质性融入，学校办学历史可上溯到明代思想家王阳明的苗疆弟子、教育家吴鹤先生于1553年开办的潕溪书院。

学校现有全日制在校学生3.6万人，在职教职工1800多人，其中高级职称756人。现有教学学院22个，一级学科41个，本科专业75个，覆盖了哲学、经济学、法学、教育学、文学、历史学、理学、工学、管理学、医学、艺术学等11大学科门类。拥有3个一级学科博士学位授权点，38个硕士学位授权点，涵盖学术学位与专业学位类别，2个博士后科研流动站。建有62个国家级、省级教学与科研平台。

在教育部第五轮学科评估中，学校有2个学科和1个专业学位点进入B-等级。化学、工程学科进入ESI全球前1%，4位学者入选全球前2%顶尖科学家，1位学者入选科睿唯安全球高被引科学家名单。学校竞赛排名进入全国高校前7%。国家自科基金/社科基金项目立项数居于湖南省同类高校前列。

学校认真落实立德树人根本任务，坚定不移走高质量发展之路，坚持文化立校、学科强校、特色兴校，积淀形成了“以人名校，以业报国”的吉大校训和“凤飞千仞，薪传八方”的吉大精神，主动服务区域经济社会发展，着力培养“品德好、能力强、吃得苦、后劲足”的高素质应用型人才，共培养各类高素质人才38万余人，办学成效先后得到朱镕基、曾庆红、尉健行、贺国强、贾庆林、刘云山等党和国家领导人的肯定。原国务院总理朱镕基高度称赞“吉首大学是湖南的骄傲”。

近年来，学校加大开放办学，与美国、澳大利亚、新西兰、日本等国的高校建立了校际合作，先后招收有俄罗斯、韩国、乌克兰、泰国、越南等国留学生。

立足新时代，学校正加快推进"双一流"建设，大力实施“三扩四提”发展战略，着力建设特色鲜明的高水平教学研究型综合性大学，打造武陵山片区人才高地和创新引擎。