The school is a full-time women's college approved by the Ministry of Education, a women's college founded by the All-China Women's Federation and the Hunan Provincial People's Government, and a member of the China Women's College Alliance and the World Women's Education Alliance.

Hunan Women's College, formerly known as Hunan Women's Vocational University, was founded in 1985 and was upgraded to a full-time undergraduate college with the approval of the Ministry of Education in March 10. It is the first public full-time general women's college after the founding of New China.

Hunan Women's College is one of the three independent women's colleges in China. The All-China Women's Federation and the Hunan Provincial People's Government have established universities, and they are members of the World Women's Education Alliance and the China Women's University Alliance.