Nanjing University of the Arts

What Nanjing University of the Arts does

Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) is a century-old public comprehensive higher education institution in Nanjing, China, jointly established by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government. Founded in 1912 by Liu Haisu, a pioneer of modern Chinese art education, NUA operates 16 academic schools spanning fine arts and calligraphy, music, design, drama/film/TV, dance, media arts and communication, contemporary music and technology, humanities and museology, industrial design, cultural industries, digital arts (newly established in 2025), higher vocational and adult education, international education, and Marxism. It also runs an affiliated secondary art school, a modern art museum, and two CSSCI-indexed academic journals. The university serves over 12,000 students across 43 undergraduate programs plus master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral tracks, with 760+ full-time faculty and 1,150+ total staff.

The university's core technology and research infrastructure includes national and provincial-level labs such as the Digital Media Art Experimental Teaching Center, the Art Materials and Techniques Laboratory, the Cultural Creativity and Integrated Design Laboratory, and the Virtual Reality Art Practice Education Center. Disciplines are delivered across traditional studio-based pedagogy and emerging digital/art-science integration, formalized through joint research centers with USTC, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and China Media Group. Notable outputs include 24 national first-class undergraduate programs (ranking second among Chinese art institutions), 26 national-level research projects in the past five years, 80% of disciplines rated A in the fifth-round Ministry of Education evaluation, and top ranking in the Wu Shulian Chinese University Rankings by Discipline (Art Studies) for six consecutive years.

NUA's business model rests on four pillars: (1) tuition and fees from undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and international students billed annually at provincial-government-set rates with separate international student pricing; (2) government funding from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Jiangsu Provincial Government under the High-Level University Development Plan; (3) competitive research grants from the National Social Science Fund of China, Ministry of Education humanities and social sciences projects, and provincial-level funds; and (4) commissioned cultural and design services for national and provincial clients, including design work for the national memorial cauldron, the Jiangsu Intelligent Manufacturing National Day Parade float, and the Nanjing Southern New Town Qinhuai Bay Bridge landscape lighting. Distribution is primarily direct through a national admissions office and the School of International Education, with channel partnerships through Cumulus and bilateral university exchange agreements in the US, Europe, and Asia.

Name

Nanjing University of the Arts

Legal name

Nanjing University of the Arts

Website

https://en.nua.edu.cn

Company type

Public

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nanjing University of the Arts is a century-old public art university in Nanjing, China, jointly run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Jiangsu Provincial Government, offering undergraduate through doctoral programs across 16 schools to over 12,000 domestic and international students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Art Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Museums (712110), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Colleges (Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre) (EDAHAJAD), Animation, Game Art & Digital Arts Colleges (EDAHAJAI), Art & Design Teacher Education Colleges (Art Education, Music Education) (EDAHAJAJ)

Keywords

• Higher art education
• Fine arts programs
• Music performance degrees
• Design university programs
• Cultural industries research

Headquarters

HQ city

Nanjing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs for both domestic and international students across 43 undergraduate programs
2. Government Funding: Jointly established by Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Jiangsu Provincial People's Government; included in Jiangsu Province's High-Level University Development Plan
3. Research Grants and Projects: National-level research projects funded by National Social Science Fund of China, Ministry of Education humanities and social sciences projects, and provincial-level social science funds
4. Cultural Services and Design Projects: Design tasks for national memorial cauldron, logos, visual systems; commissioned creative works and performances

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) is a public Chinese university delivering comprehensive higher art education through 16 academic schools and 43 undergraduate programs covering Fine Arts and Calligraphy, Music, Design, Drama/Film/TV, Dance, Media Arts, Digital Arts, Cultural Industries, Industrial Design, and Humanities/Museology, plus master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. It also offers international student programs in Chinese painting and modern handcrafts, operates the Art Museum of NUA, and runs the annual '520' Graduation Exhibition Carnival. The university receives joint oversight from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government.

Product overview

Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA) is a century-old comprehensive higher art university offering undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs across 16 schools, including Fine Arts and Calligraphy, Music, Design, Drama/Film/TV, Dance, Media Arts and Communication, Contemporary Music and Technology, Humanities and Museology, Industrial Design, Cultural Industries, Digital Arts, Higher Vocational Education, International Education, Marxism, and an Affiliated Secondary Art School. The university operates the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, one of China's most modern college art museums, and hosts the annual 520 Graduation Exhibition Carnival. NUA publishes two academic journals in fine arts/design and music/performance. The institution offers 43 undergraduate programs and has over 12,000 enrolled students across its comprehensive art education ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School of Fine Arts and Calligraphy One of the earliest modern colleges of fine arts in China, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in fine arts and calligraphy.
• School of Music One of the oldest higher music education institutions in China, offering programs in musicology, composition, music performance (Chinese traditional instruments, vocal, piano, orchestral instruments), and music education.
• School of Design Offers programs in art design, visual communication design, environmental design, clothing and apparel design, public art, and arts and crafts.
• School of Drama, Film & TV Offers programs in performance, broadcasting and hosting art, drama/film/television literature, directing, and art design.
• School of Dance Offers undergraduate programs in choreography, dance performance, dancology, and dance education.
• School of Media Arts and Communication Offers programs in radio and TV writing and directing, animation, digital media art, recording art, photography, advertising, and film and TV photography and production.
• School of Contemporary Music and Technology Offers programs in popular music performance (jazz, rock, electronic instruments), popular music composition, musicology with musical instrument repair and manufacture, and music transmission.
• School of Humanities and Museology Offers programs in cultural relic conservation and restoration, intangible cultural heritage protection, art history and theory, and art education.
• School of Industrial Design Offers programs in industrial design with over 800 students; serves as vice president unit of China Industrial Design Association and operates provincial experimental teaching centers.
• School of Cultural Industries Offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs in cultural industry management, and operates a post-doctoral station in Art Theory.
• School of Digital Arts Newly established school (2025) focusing on nurturing digital art design talents with international perspective, interdisciplinary thinking, and innovative practical skills.
• School of Higher Vocational Education and Adult Education Offers eight undergraduate majors in visual communication design, environmental design, product design, digital media art, musicology, choreography, performance, and broadcasting and hosting art to vocational school graduates.
• School of International Education Has admitted thousands of international students from over 80 countries; offers Chinese refresher courses and short-term courses in Chinese painting and modern handcrafts.
• Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts One of China's most modern college art museums; recognized by major media as one of the top ten art institutions and galleries in China.
• 520 Graduation Exhibition Carnival Annual graduation exhibition carnival showcasing student works across all disciplines; widely influential public cultural and artistic event held annually since 2016.
• Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts Two academic journals covering Fine Arts and Design (CSSCI source, national core journal) and Music and Performance (national core journal).

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of disciplines entered A category in fifth round of discipline evaluation by Ministry of Education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• iFLYTEKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2025NUA and iFLYTEK jointly introduced iFLYSOUND Intelligent Sound Field Technology at the 'iFLYSOUND New Sound Day' launch event on November 5, 2025. The partnership focuses on driving tech innovation in smart car audio, showcasing collaborative achievements in intelligent sound field technology.
• Central Compilation and Translation PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Center for the Study and Creation of Art under the Context of Localization and Modernization of Marxism in China and the first Marxist Reading Center among universities nationwide
• University of Science and Technology of ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Center for Art and Science Innovation and Research, focusing on interdisciplinary research between art and science
• Nanjing University of Posts and TelecommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Institute for Metaverse Art and Design for research in metaverse applications for artistic creation
• Nanjing University of Science and TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Center For Digital Cultural and Creative Development for digital transformation in cultural and creative industries
• China Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished the Laboratory for Auditory Perception and Audio-Visual Fusion for research in media technology
• Cumulus (International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNUA has joined Cumulus, participating in international academic exchange and collaboration with first-class art and design schools globally
• Troy University (USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished 1+2+1 cooperative teaching model with broadcast journalism major, allowing students to spend first and fourth years at NUA and second and third years at Troy University with credit transfer system
• International Universities (Europe, North America, Asia)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarious exchange programs with universities in USA, Norway, South Korea, Australia, and European countries for student exchanges, co-creation, co-performance, and co-organization of academic activities

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sichuan Fine Arts Institute: Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing is a comprehensive art university offering comparable fine arts, design, and media programs, and is a direct competitor for top-tier students and ministry-funded research.
• Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts: Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts is a comprehensive public art university in southern China with parallel discipline coverage in fine arts, design, and industrial arts — directly comparable to NUA's institutional profile.
• China Academy of Art: China Academy of Art is the leading comprehensive higher art university in Hangzhou, offering comparable undergraduate-to-doctoral programs across fine arts, design, architecture, and media arts. It is one of the closest direct competitors to NUA in national rankings and program breadth.
• Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts: Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts is a public art institution in northern China offering comparable undergraduate and graduate programs in fine arts, design, and visual arts — a regional direct peer of similar scale to NUA.
• Central Academy of Fine Arts: Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing) is China's top-tier specialized fine arts institution and a direct peer to NUA, competing for the same national pool of arts students, faculty talent, and Ministry of Education research funding.
• Shanghai Theatre Academy: Shanghai Theatre Academy is a peer arts-focused institution specializing in performing arts, dance, and dramatic arts — directly comparable to NUA's School of Drama, Film & TV and School of Dance for talent recruitment.
• Beijing Film Academy: Beijing Film Academy is China's premier institution for film, television, and animation — directly comparable to NUA's School of Drama, Film & TV and School of Media Arts and Communication for student recruitment and industry placement.

Broad incumbents

• Communication University of China: Communication University of China is a larger public university with broad programs across media, broadcasting, and journalism — overlapping with NUA's media arts and communication disciplines but at significantly larger scale.

Others

• Royal College of Art: The Royal College of Art is a globally ranked postgraduate-only art and design university in the UK. While operating in a different country and tier, it serves as an international benchmark for the type of comprehensive art-research university NUA aspires to scale toward.

Regional players

• Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts: Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts is a regional public art university in northwestern China with comparable fine arts and design offerings, primarily competing for students in its own geographic catchment rather than directly with NUA nationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/nanjing-university-of-the-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nanjing University of the Arts