Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and Zhongnan University of Economics and Law are the same school. Zhongnan University of Economics and Law generally refers to Zhongnan University of Economics and Law. It is a key university directly under the Ministry of Education of People's Republic of China (PRC), focusing on economics, law and management. It has nine disciplines, including philosophy, literature, history, science, engineering and art, and was established by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the Hubei Provincial People's Government.

The school originated from Chung Yuan Christian University 1948 and was founded by the Central Central Plains Bureau with Deng Xiaoping as the first secretary and Chen Yi as the director of the preparatory committee. In 2000, Zhongnan University of Finance and Economics and Zhongnan College of Political Science and Law under the former Ministry of Justice merged to form Zhongnan University of Finance and Law.