The school was established on September 6th, 2004. It is jointly organized by China Communication University and Huaxia Audio-visual Media Group. Liu Jinan, former president and honorary president of China Communication University, is the founder and first president of the school. Adhering to the initial intention of running a school for public welfare and repaying the society, the school board hopes to turn Nanchuan into a first-class communication university and a century-old prestigious school with international influence.
On April 19, 2020, Nanguang College of Communication University of China announced the announcement of Nanjing Institute of Communication, which upgraded the school to Nanjing Institute of Communication and announced its new name. The rights and obligations of the former Communication University of China, Nanguang College, were all undertaken by Nanjing Communication College.