Wuhan University

• Name — Wuhan University • Motto — 自强 弘毅 求是 拓新 • Motto Lang — zh-hans • Motto Eng — Self-improvement, Perseverance, Truth-seeking, Innovation • Established — Incorporated as a university in 1926 • Type — Public • President — Zhang Pingwen • City — Wuhan • Province — Hubei • Country — China • Students — 58,720 • Faculty — 7,325 • Campus — Urban, 3.5 km 2 • Website — https: en.whu.edu.cn/

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 had an undergraduate department and 6 subjects including liberal arts, science, law, economics, medicine, and preparatory courses, 17 departments, and 2 institutes. 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. In 1949, National Wuhan University was taken over by the Communist Party and renamed Wuhan University. • Illustration — Former library situated on top of the old dorms, as depicted in the university's logo. The School of Information Management at Wuhan University signed a cooperation agreement with the Royal School of Library and Information Science in Denmark in 2009. Wuhan University collaborated with Duke University in the United States and the city of Kunshan to establish Duke Kunshan University in 2013. The first undergraduates were admitted in 2018, and the agreement between Wuhan and Duke is due to expire in 2028. In May 2025, Chairmen of two U.S. House of Representatives Committees urged Duke to withdraw from the partnership, citing national security concerns. In 2025, Wuhan University revoked a disciplinary demerit imposed on a student following a widely discussed sexual-harassment allegation in the university library, after court rulings and an internal review. See Wuhan University Library controversy. 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. The institute offers four-year undergraduate courses leading to a double degree awarded by both universities.

Most of the university's early stylish buildings were designed by F. H. Kales (1899–1979). In 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army planted the first batch of cherry trees on the Wuhan University campus to relieve the homesickness of its troops. These trees were preserved after the war ended, despite their historical association with the Japanese occupation. 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. • Illustration — Luojia Hill (Luojiashan) • Illustration — Former School of Science • Illustration — Administration Building, Former School of Engineering • Illustration — Former Dorm for male students

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, and 3,007 international students. The university had 3,940 faculty staff at the time.

• Bcur N — 8 • Ws N — 6 • Cuaa N — 10 • Qs N — 9 • The N — 8 • Line 1 — 0 • Qs A — 38 • The A — 24 • Line 2 — 0 • Arwu W — 77 • Qs W — 165 • The W — =122 • Usnwr W — 85 From 2026 to 2027, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 85th in the world, 18th in Asia and 10th in China. In 2026, Academic Ranking of World Universities ranked it 77th in the world, 15th in Asia and 11th in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). In 2025, Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked it 122th in the world and 8th in China. In 2026, QS World University Rankings ranked it 165th in the world and 9th in China. The Nature Index 2026 ranked Wuhan University the 15th university in the Asia-Pacific region, and 18th in the world. The 2025 CWTS Leiden Ranking ranked Wuhan University 16th in the world by total publications and 31st 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. As of 2017, 29 billionaires had graduated from Wuhan University, placing the university 9th nationally. • Illustration — College of Foreign Languages and Literatures