Lanzhou University was established in 1909. Today it consists of 23 faculties, 35 institutes and hosts more than 36,400 students. Lanzhou University belongs to both, the Project 211 and to the Project 985. In 2012 it ranked 29^th on a national level.

Outstanding fields of research at Lanzhou University are Organic Chemistry, Cell Biology, Theoretical Physics, Nuclear Physics and Technology, Magnetics, Plant Physiology, Ecology, Basic Mathematics, Mechanics, Natural Geography, Synoptic Dynamics, Inorganic Chemistry, Analytic Chemistry, and others.

Lanzhou University operates 3 key laboratories of the Ministry of Education (the laboratories of Arid and Grassland Ecology, of West China Environment and of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials) and one key laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, the laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystem.

Lanzhou University is very active in developing international cooperations: it already maintains partnerships in more than 20 countries such as the USA, Japan, UK, France, Australia, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong und Germany. Since 2005, it cooperates with Freie Universität Berlin.