Anhui Normal University is the earliest institution of higher learning in Anhui. It is located in Wuhu, a national open city with the reputation of "the city of thousands of lakes". It is close to the vast Yangtze River and the beautiful Zheshan Mountain. It is a university jointly established by the Anhui Provincial People's Government and the Ministry of Education.

The Anhui Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government gave priority to the construction of provincial key comprehensive universities and high-level universities in Anhui Province, and were selected as the first batch of pilot units of the National Key Marxist College (the only one in Anhui Province). The Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee and the school jointly established the School of Journalism, and won the title of the second "National Civilized Campus".

The school's predecessor was the provincial Anhui University 1928 founded in Anqing. 1946 was renamed as National Anhui University, and 1949 moved to Wuhu in February. Later, it went through several stages, such as Anhui Normal University, Hefei Normal University, Southern Anhui University (inscribed by Liu Shaoqi) and Anhui University of Workers and Peasants.

1972, approved by the State Council, was officially named Anhui Normal University (inscribed by Guo Moruo). In 2005, Wuhu Normal University was merged into Anhui Normal University.

At present, the school has departments of literature, Marxism, law, economics and management, music, fine arts, history, education, foreign languages, sports, journalism and communication, mathematics and statistics, computer and information, physics and electronic information, chemistry and material science.

There are 18 colleges such as School of Geography and Tourism, School of Life Sciences, School of Ecology and Environment, College of Continuing Education, College of International Education, College of Teacher Education, and Wanjiang College, with attached middle schools, primary schools and primary schools.