Approved by the Ministry of Education of China in 2000,University of South China, a comprehensive university, was founded through the merger of its two predecessors: the Central South Institute of Technology and Hengyang Medical College, both having a history of 47 years. The newly-born university, with a nation-wide enrollment, is co-administered by Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence and Hunan Provincial Government, with the latter taking more responsibility. In October 2002, University of South China incorporated the Sixth Institute of National Nuclear Industry as its subordinating part and took over No. 415 Hospital (originally under the Corporation of National Nuclear Industry) as one of its affiliated hospitalsApproved by the Ministry of Education of China in 2000, University of South China, a comprehensive university, was founded thro. In July 2004, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA )Navy set up a training base for its reservist officers in University of South China.

    The university is favorably situated in Hengyang City, a time-honored cultural city, with Mt. Hengshan (renowned for its Buddhist significance in China) to the north and Xiangjiang River to the east. Its campus covers an area of 1,000,000 square meters and owns a housing area of over 700,000 square meters.In 1981, University of South China was authorized to award bachelor degrees and in 1986 master degrees. In 1991, it began to collaborate with other universities and research institutes in doctoral programs, and was authorized to award doctoral degrees in 2003.

    Currently, the university has 45 undergraduate majors, covering as many as 8 disciplinary areas (science, engineering, medicine, law, liberal arts, economics, management, and education). There are 6 provincial key disciplines, 5 disciplines administrated by the Chinese government, and 1 key discipline of national defence. 4 Programs are entitled to award Ph. D. degree, 43 MA or M.S. degrees, and 3 professional degrees. The mining engineering, nuclear technology and its application, pathology and pathological physiology, and pharmacology are Hunan provincial key construction disciplines. There are 2 ministerial key laboratories, i.e. the dissolution and mineral laboratory, the coordinating laboratory of the International Radon Calculation Program of IAEA in Asia, 1 provincial key laboratory, i.e. the radon laboratory.

    The number of the registered students has now reached more than 27,800, with 22,181 undergraduates,¡¡683 three-year college students, 930 postgraduates and PhD candidates, and over 4,000 adult education students. There are 2261 staff members in the university, of whom over 1,270 are full-time teachers, including over 200 professors, 440 associate professors, and about 370 MA/M.S. or PhD degree supervisors. More than 700 teachers are doctorate or master degree holders. Besides, it has over 400 advanced professionals working in its four directly affiliated hospitals. 40 famous experts, including 3 academicians from other universities and research institutes at home and abroad, are invited to work as part-time professors in the university.

    In the recent years, the university has won over 200 awards, including the prizes of national invention, of provincial or ministerial scientific and technological achievements. 103 monographs and textbooks have been published, and more than 5,500 papers published in the important academic journals at home and abroad. At present, the university is undertaking more than 600 research projects, subsidized by National Fund of Natural Sciences, National Defense, local governments at all levels, and other enterprises or institutions.Its publications include University of South China Journal of three editions (medicine, natural and social sciences), National Journal on Arteriosclerosis, and Chinese Clinical Medicine in America that is entrusted by American Association of Chinese Medicine.

    The teaching and researching equipments of the university value 150,000,000 Yuan. The university has 21 colleges or schools, 20 research centers, 30 disciplinary labs, 11 affiliated hospitals (4 directly administrated, 7 cooperated) with 7,000 patient beds. There are bases for students' practice in mechanics, electronics and zoology. The main library on campus has a collection of approximately 1,930,000 books, over 4,680 journals in Chinese or English, and 780,000 electronic books.

    Through nearly 50 years' construction and development, University of South China has formed an excellent atmosphere on the campus, which features its motto: "Consciousness of Ethics, Broadness of Learning, Seeking-Truth and Far-Sightedness". The university has won a series of honorable titles, such as "National Advanced University for Students' Enrollment", "National Advanced University for Students' Employment", "National Excellent University for Implementing National College P.E. Statutes", "Civilized University of Hunan Province" and so on. For 8 consecutive years, it has been awarded the title of "Advanced University for National College Students' Social Survey".