Lanzhou University is a national key comprehensive university directly under the Ministry of Education, and it is one of the key construction universities in the "985 Project" and "21/project". The school was founded in 1909, initially as Gansu University of Political Science and Law, expanded to Sun Yat-sen University in 1928, and named as National Lanzhou University in 1945. In 2002 and 2004, Gansu Grassland Ecology Institute and Lanzhou Medical College merged into Lanzhou University.

Lanzhou University has complete disciplines and distinctive features, including 12 disciplines. At present, there are 19 first-level disciplines authorized by doctor's degree, 44 first-level disciplines authorized by master's degree, 16 specialties authorized by doctor's degree, 235 specialties authorized by master's degree,16 specialties authorized by professional degree and 17 postdoctoral mobile stations.