The school started from1September, 949, and the First Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army set up Tibetan classes and Tibetan schools in Lanzhou. 1950 65438+ 10 was converted into the third department of Lanzhou Branch of Northwest People's Revolutionary University. 1950 In August, Northwest University for Nationalities was formally established. In April 2003, Northwest University for Nationalities was renamed Northwest University for Nationalities.

In April 2003, with the approval of the Ministry of Education and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, the school was renamed Northwest University for Nationalities. In September, the school held a celebration meeting, renamed and supplemented as a doctoral degree awarding unit.

The school is the lead organizer of Gansu National Information Technology Collaborative Innovation Center. Core collaborative units such as Belt and Road Safety Collaborative Innovation Center, China Multi-ethnic Cultural Cohesion and National Identity Collaborative Innovation Center, and Silk Road and Chinese Civilization Inheritance and Development Collaborative Innovation Center.