South China Normal University

What South China Normal University does

South China Normal University (华南师范大学, SCNU) is a public, comprehensive normal university founded in 1933 and jointly administered by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China and the Guangdong Provincial Government. Headquartered in Guangzhou with four campuses across Guangzhou (Shipai, University Town), Foshan (Nanhai), and Shanwei (Binhai), the university serves approximately 49,000 full-time undergraduate and graduate students supported by 5,400+ faculty and staff, of whom 2,700+ are full-time teaching faculty. SCNU's core mission is teacher education and K-12 educator development, supported by 60 affiliated schools across Guangdong Province and the Double Hundred Action longitudinal outreach program targeting rural and underdeveloped schools in Jieyang, Shanwei, and surrounding counties. Beyond teacher training, SCNU operates across 20 first-level doctoral disciplines and 32 first-level master's disciplines, with 15 ESI World Top 1% disciplines and a nationally designated Double First-Class Physics discipline.

SCNU's revenue model is government-anchored and non-commercial. Primary funding flows from provincial and national education fiscal allocations, supplemented by tuition and fees (regulated by Guangdong Province), competitive research grants from national and provincial science foundations, and revenue from 60 affiliated school operations, continuing education, and commissioned teacher training programs delivered to partner schools and government education bureaus. Marketing and recruitment are conducted through the official website (scnu.edu.cn), WeChat official accounts, provincial media (Southern Daily, Yangcheng Evening News), educational fairs, and an alumni network. SCNU's core technology and product surface includes the Liru Cloud Classroom online learning platform (moodle.scnu.edu.cn), a unified Integrated Service Platform for faculty and students (sso.scnu.edu.cn), and emerging AI-enabled features such as AI digital human technology used at graduation ceremonies and AI-empowered teacher development training. The university has accumulated 79 National First-Class undergraduate courses, 45 National First-Class undergraduate programs, 218 national-level and 321 provincial-level talent titles, and 135 provincial-level and above research platforms including three national-level platforms.

Strategically, SCNU is positioning itself as a national convener for AI-in-teacher-education through hosting the inaugural National Higher Normal College AI Teaching Agent Application Innovation Competition (2026) and a sustained AI-Empowered Teacher Teaching Development training series. Recent leadership changes include the appointment of President Wang Enke (formerly Vice President of Central China Normal University), who has articulated a 'New Normal University' and 'Two Highs, Two Optimizations' agenda. The university is deepening Greater Bay Area integration through partnerships with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and provincial education authorities, while expanding into eastern Guangdong via the Shanwei Binhai Campus and the Double Hundred Action rural outreach programs. SCNU received the 2026 Fourth National Innovation Talent Competition honor for Professor Li Sheng of the College of Life Sciences, the first time SCNU has received this award.

Name

South China Normal University

Legal name

华南师范大学 (South China Normal University)

Website

https://scnu.edu.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

South China Normal University is a public 211 Project university founded in 1933, jointly administered by China's Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, educating 49,000+ students across four campuses with a teacher-education focus and 60 affiliated K-12 schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

Keywords

• Teacher education programs
• Higher education services
• Academic research programs
• Continuing education programs
• K-12 affiliated schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Guangzhou City, GuangDong

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs including teacher training and professional development courses
2. Research Funding and Grants: Government research grants, national and provincial science foundations, and commissioned research projects
3. Educational Services: Affiliated school operations, teacher training programs, and educational consulting services to partner schools and institutions

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

South China Normal University is a comprehensive public normal university delivering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, international, and continuing education programs. It operates 60 affiliated K-12 schools across Guangdong Province, provides teacher training and educational consulting to government education departments, and conducts research across 20+ doctoral and 32+ master's first-level disciplines with physics designated as a national Double First-Class discipline. The university supports 49,000+ full-time students across four campuses and delivers online learning through the Liru Cloud Classroom platform.

Product overview

华南师范大学是一所综合性师范大学，提供本科教育、研究生教育、留学生教育、继续教育等多层次教育服务。学校拥有四个校区（广州校区石牌校园、广州校区大学城校园、佛山校区南海校园、汕尾校区滨海校园），设有多个学院和科研机构。主要教育技术产品包括砺儒云课堂（在线教学平台）、综合服务平台（统一认证和事务办理）。物理学入选国家"双一流"建设学科，拥有15个ESI世界前1%学科，45个国家级一流本科专业。学校还运用AI数字人技术，在毕业典礼等场合还原首任校长形象进行跨时空互动。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 砺儒云课堂 (Liru Cloud Classroom): Online learning platform for distance education and teacher training
• 师生服务中心 (Teacher-Student Service Center)
• 综合服务平台 (Integrated Service Platform)
• 本科生招生 (Undergraduate Admissions)

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Four-year undergraduate degree programs across multiple disciplines including physics, life sciences, psychology, education, literature, history, geography, politics, and engineering, serving prospective higher education students. Includes 45 national first-class undergraduate programs and 79 national first-class undergraduate courses.
• Graduate Degree Programs (Master's and Doctoral) Master's and doctoral degree programs across 20 doctoral-degree authorization first-level disciplines and 32 master's-degree authorization first-level disciplines, serving graduate students pursuing advanced academic research and professional development.
• International Student Programs Programs for international students including Chinese language and culture education, academic exchange programs, and international degree programs. Located primarily at the Nanhai Campus in Foshan. Recruited through education fairs and partner institutions globally.
• Continuing Education Programs Continuing education programs including teacher training and professional development courses for in-service educators, administered through the College of Continuing Education (继续教育学院).
• Teacher Training Programs (政府与院校教师培训) Teacher training and professional development programs delivered to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, local education bureaus, and K-12 schools across Guangdong Province. Includes the Double Hundred Action (双百行动) longitudinal support program for rural schools in Jieyang, Shanwei, Fengkai, and surrounding counties.
• Affiliated K-12 Schools Network Network of 60 affiliated schools across Guangdong Province providing K-12 education services, including SCNU Affiliated Primary School (华南师范大学附属小学), SCNU Affiliated Secondary School (华南师范大学附属中学), SCNU Liru Senior High School (华南师范大学砺儒高级中学), and SCNU Affiliated Xinyi School (华南师范大学附属信宜学校). These schools serve as practical training grounds for SCNU teacher education students.
• Liru Cloud Classroom (砺儒云课堂) Online learning platform for distance education, network course learning, and educational resource sharing, serving SCNU students and partner institutions for teacher training and continuing education.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49,000+ students educated annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Xinyi City Education Bureau and SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Humanities empowerment 'Hundred Thousand Projects' program with Professor Ma Maojun delivering lectures on Su Dongpo and cultural research activities in Xinyi
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2023Research exchange and collaboration between universities, including Vice President Yang Zhongmin leading delegation for exchange
• Guangdong Provincial Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Long-term strategic partnership for teacher training, educational research, and provincial education development programs including the Double Hundred Action (双百行动) longitudinal support program for rural education in Jieyang, Shanwei, and surrounding counties
• South China University of TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in scientific research and talent development among Guangzhou higher education institutions
• Beijing UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysics discipline collaboration including joint national key laboratory construction for nuclear physics and nuclear technology
• Chinese Academy of SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with various institutes including Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology for research projects and talent exchange
• Zhongshan Institute of Occupational Disease PreventionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research and training in occupational health and disease prevention
• Jinan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLibrary Party building collaboration and resource sharing between university libraries in Guangdong
• Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co. (GAMECO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParty building collaboration with Psychology Department focusing on employee mental health services

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou): A research university in Guangzhou with which SCNU has formal research exchange partnerships. Different governance (Hong Kong-based) and broader STEM focus, but overlaps in Guangdong higher-ed market for faculty and graduate students.
• Jinan University: A 211 Project university in Guangzhou focused on overseas Chinese education and liberal arts. Geographic peer and partner institution; differs in mission (international Chinese-student focus vs. teacher education) but competes for the same Guangdong student pool.
• Guangzhou University: A provincial public university in Guangzhou offering education programs. Competes with SCNU in teacher training at the undergraduate and continuing education level within Guangdong, though smaller in scale and disciplinary breadth.

Direct peers

• Central China Normal University: A 985 Project normal university in Wuhan. Directly comparable comprehensive teacher education institution, and notably the previous employer of SCNU's current President Wang Enke — strong leadership and academic lineage overlap.
• East China Normal University: A 985 Project normal university based in Shanghai. Direct peer in the same teacher-education university category, with comparable doctoral discipline breadth, affiliated schools, and a similar mix of education sciences and STEM research strength.
• Shaanxi Normal University: A 211 Project normal university in Xi'an. Direct peer in the same category with a strong teacher education tradition and comparable scale of affiliated K-12 schools.
• Beijing Normal University: China's flagship normal university and a Double First-Class institution. Directly comparable as a top-tier teacher education and comprehensive research university with strong affiliated K-12 school networks and national influence in education policy.
• Northeast Normal University: A 211 Project normal university in Changchun. Directly comparable in scale and mission — public comprehensive university with strong teacher education programs and research output.

Broad incumbents

• Sun Yat-sen University: A top-tier 985 Project comprehensive research university also based in Guangzhou. Competes with SCNU for faculty, students, and provincial government research funding; broader scope (medical, comprehensive sciences) but overlapping geography and talent pool.
• South China University of Technology: A 985 Project research university in Guangzhou and an explicit SCNU partner. Competes for STEM students and government research allocations in Guangdong; broader engineering focus versus SCNU's education/teacher training orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/south-china-normal-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries7 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 South China Normal University