The predecessor of Hohai University can be traced back to 19 15, when Zhang Jian founded Hohai Engineering College in Nanjing. It is the first institution of higher learning in China to train water conservancy talents. 1924 merged with the Engineering Department of National Southeast University to form Hohai University of Technology, 1927 merged with National Fourth Sun Yat-sen University, and later renamed as National Central University and Nanjing University.

From 65438 to 0952, the water conservancy departments of Nanjing University, Jiaotong University, Tongji University, Zhejiang University and East China Water Conservancy College merged to form East China Water Conservancy College. 1960 was recognized as a national key university by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. 1985, restore the traditional school name "Hohai University".

In April, 2023, official website showed that the school has three campuses, namely Xikang Road, Jiangning and Changzhou, covering an area of 2,464 mu, with 20 departments, 7/kloc-0 undergraduate majors, 3,535 faculty members, 16 postdoctoral mobile stations and 42 degree authorization points. Students with 559 12 degrees.

19 15, Zhang Jian, then general manager of Nongshang and director of the State Water Conservancy Bureau, presided over the establishment of the Engineering College, with Huang Yanpei as the preparatory director of the school and Xu as the first president, and a modern water conservancy expert recognized by the water conservancy community in China as the academic director of the school.

1924, Hehai Engineering College and the merged Engineering Department of National Southeast University established Hehai Engineering University, which still belongs to the National Water Conservancy Bureau, with Mao Yisheng as the first president.

1927 In June, Hohai University of Technology and National Southeast University formed the National Fourth Sun Yat-sen University (1928 was renamed as National Jiangsu University, Jiangsu University and National Central University). All students and books and equipment of Hohai University of Technology were merged into the Civil Engineering Department of the Institute of Technology (1928 was renamed as the Civil Engineering Department), and some teachers continued to apply for teaching, among which Lu Enxu was the dean of the Institute of Technology.

The Department of Civil Engineering of Central University established the Water Conservancy Group in June 1937, but the Civil Engineering Group still exists.