In 2016, two very different institutions in Zhengzhou merged into one university, and the result was a deliberate design. Henan Finance University describes itself with a formula, “one body, two wings”: economics and management form the body, while finance-plus-technology and finance-plus-education extend the two wings.
The university’s roots give it both halves. One predecessor, the Henan College of Finance and Taxation, founded in 1953, was the first school in the province to train specialists in taxation, finance and accounting; the other, the Henan Education College, founded in 1955, brought decades of teacher-education experience. Today 22 teaching units run 43 undergraduate programs, with four provincial key disciplines, accounting, computer science, business administration and finance, and eight provincial first-class programs. In 2025 the university won approval as a key master’s-degree cultivation unit.
The technology wing is the newest signature. 5G-powered smart education, piloted here as one of the first such projects approved by China’s industry and education ministries, was rated a national model, and its evaluation system has been promoted across the province’s universities. Five national first-class courses anchor a curriculum that pairs finance with artificial intelligence and big data.
Research and industry ties serve the finance theme. The Yucai Institute for Government Performance Management and a provincial financial education demonstration base anchor work that has produced 118 industry-education integration bases, 266 off-campus practice sites and seven national science fund projects. Seven provincial research platforms and a long list of continuing-education bases for accountants, asset appraisers and tax professionals complete the picture.
The international network reaches more than 30 countries, from the United States and Germany to Malaysia and Serbia, with exchange programs and a Confucius Institute under preparation as part of China-ASEAN school partnerships. Two main campuses cover about 121 hectares in Zhengzhou, home to 26,400-plus students and 1,536 staff. Young as a university, old as a school, the body is finance and the wings are still spreading.
Data Source: HAFU Official Website (as of 2026)
