Founded in 1902, Guizhou University (GZU) was originally known as Guizhou Institute of Higher Learning. Later, it was turned into Provincial Guizhou University, National Guizhou College of Agriculture and Engineering, and National Guizhou University in the process of its development. In October 1950, it got its present name, Guizhou University. In November 1951, Mao Zedong, the then chairman of the country, inscribed in person the Chinese name of Guizhou University. In August 2004, it was merged and formed the current Guizhou University with Guizhou University of Technology. In December of the same year, the Provincial Government signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to co-build Guizhou University. In September 2005, it was approved to be one of the key "211 Project" universities.

At present, GZU has a full-time enrollment of 44588 undergraduates, 7233 postgraduates, 9415 adult students, and 291 international students. Among the staff of 4198, there are 2530 full-time teachers, including 381 PhD owners, 1083 Master degree owners, 383 full professors, 854 associate professors, 1 academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 1 concurrent academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 5 state-level middle-aged or young experts, 5 candidates of state-level New Century Million-and-10-Million-Talents Project, 1 member of discipline appraisal group of the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council, 8 members of the National Instructive Committee of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, 10 new century outstanding science and technology talents, 6 first-batch key provincial experts, 56 province-managed experts, 54 province-level young science and technology talents, and 25 famous teachers of higher education of Guizhou Province.