Henan Agricultural University (HAU) originated out of Henan Public Agricultural Specialized School, which was founded in 1913. Since then, HAU operated under several different names, including National Zhongshan University, Agronomy Department of Provincial Zhongshan University, Agronomy College of Provincial Henan University and Agronomy College of National Henan University. When the colleges were rearranged nationally in 1952, Agronomy College of Henan University was named Henan Agronomy College, which was moved to Zhengzhou from Kaifeng in 1957. It was renamed Henan Agricultural University in December， 1984.

        HAU today is a comprehensive university with 9 branches of learning: agronomy, medicine, science, engineering, arts, economics, management, law and education. These branches are subdivided into 16 colleges which are College of Agronomy, College of Forestry & Horticulture, College of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, College of Mechanical & Electronic Engineering, College of Economics & Management, College of Plant Protection, College of Life Science, College of Information & Management Science, College of Food Scientific Technology, College of Resources & Environment, College of Science, College of Arts and Law, College of Foreign Language, College of International Education, College of Physical Education, College of Continuing Education. HAU contains 1 first-rate subject-authorizing doctorate, 2 key subjects at the national level, 15 key subjects at the provincial and ministerial level. HAU also maintains 3 post doctorate research centers, offers 19 doctorate programs, 65 specialties authorizing master's degree and 46 undergraduate specialties.

        Among a total staff members of more than 1700, 7 are academicians, over 400 are professors or associate professors, over 750 have doctorate degree or master degree, 3 are middle-aged and young experts who have made prominent contribution to the country, 40 are scholars who received special allowance from the State Council. Three were elected to enter “Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talent Project”, 51 are state-level and provincial level leading experts and 32 are provincial level outstanding experts. Currently there are a total of more than 21,000 students among whom over 1300 are graduates, over 15,000 are undergraduates and over 4,000 are adult education students.

       At the same time there are 18 state, provincial research centers, key laboratories and bases which have been built in the university such as National Engineering Research Center for Wheat, National Tobacco Cultivation, Physiology & Biochemistry Research Center. Each year, HAU undertakes more than 300 research projects, over 50% of which are state and ministry level projects. In recent years, it has chaired and completed key projects concerning wheat, maize, tobacco, energy, paulownia, animal husbandry and agricultural technology development, and won over 200 provincial, ministerial and national awards on research projects.

       HAU has established intercollegiate ties with universities in the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Thailand, The Netherlands and other countries. The university has carried out research work with more than 70 universities, research institutes and enterprises from over 40 countries.

        HAU upholds the concept of running school of “well treat the students and enrich the people”, centers on the service for the development of modern development, takes talent training as its primary task, holds discipline construction as the tap cause and faculty construction as the key cause and maintains improvement of the quality of higher education as lifeline. HAU has come up with a medium and long-term development strategic plan which aims to meet social needs, operate the university openly and transparently, and facilitate development through reform. It also aims to promote improvement by learning from current advantages and seek sustainable development while striving for breakthroughs on key matters. The university continues to maintain a scientific attitude towards development, to prioritize the construction of the specialties, to refine the structure and system of the university and to extend the significance, to make use of advantages and characteristics and to assert its own features, and to endeavor to build a teaching and researching university with pioneer subjects based on the life sciences and other related subjects. Additionally, it aims to become a teaching and researching university, which excels in agricultural science and demonstrates its own advantages and special features in this field. In this way, HAU can become a base of senior agricultural talents, and agricultural scientific and technological innovation. HAU can also become a base of new and high agricultural technology, and a base for researching agricultural development.