Presently the University is key university of Gansu Province, and one of the 14 universities in Western area strongly backed by the Ministry of Education.

The University has set up 18 colleges, 46 departments, 2 teaching departments, 72 teaching and research centers (institutes), 35 labs (experimental centers), 1 national key research base of humanities and social sciences, 1 province-and-ministry-joint-established key lab under the Ministry of Education, 1 provincial-level key lab, 16 provincial-level key disciplines, 20 university-level key disciplines, 5 provincial-level-and-above education bases. Under the commitment of the Ministry of Education, the University has established several organizations such as the Tibetan Teachers Training Center, the Elementary Education Curriculum Reformation Research Center under the Ministry of Education, the National Key Constructing Base of Training Teachers for Vocational Education, the National Base of Training Teachers for Physical Education and Arts, the Computers Donating Center under the Ministry of Education, and there are also several provincial organizations such as Gansu Higher School Teachers Training Center, Gansu Modern Distance Education Center, Gansu Policies and Statutes Training Center for Educational Administrative Cadres.

The University boasts a well-organized and high-quality teaching staff of 2467, among which 1,238 are fulltime teachers, 232 professors and research fellows, 484 associate professors and associate research fellows, 203 doctors, 491 postgraduates, 2 academicians, 94 doctoral supervisors, 494 Master students supervisors, 56 enjoying special government allowance ratified by the State Council, 5 young and middle-aged experts of outstanding contribution, 2 winners of the “National Hundreds of Millions of Talents Project”, 106 academic team members (35 at national level and 71 at provincial and ministerial level) of first-grade disciplines, 8 national experts, 19 provincial and ministerial experts, and 70 Gansu “333” “555” Talents of Scientific and Technological Innovations. Prominent professors such as Lizheng, Li Jinxi, Yuan Dunli, Dong Shouyi, Li Jianxun, Hu Guoyu, Lv Sibai, Kong Xianwu, Chang Shuhong, Chenyong, Huangzhou, Pengduo, Guo Jinxi, Cheng Guodong, Xue Qunji, Li Bingde, Jin Baoxiang, Jin Shaoying, Nan Guonong have taught successively in the University.

The University also boasts a strong scientific research capability. In recent years, the SCIE-included research papers concerning the basic theory of natural sciences continuously ranked around 50 among the national colleges and universities and within the top 10 among the national normal universities. The social sciences boast several distinctive and superior disciplines such as Western History and Geography, Ethnic Education, Curriculum and Teaching Theories, Ancient Books Systematization and Dunhuang Studies. The University takes the initiative to meet the need of local economic and social development, enhances the research work on the development of applied and soft sciences, and promotes actively the transformation of fruits in scientific research, having obtained lots of representative achievements, profitable economic returns and profound social effects. The University has conducted international exchanges and cooperative studies extensively, established cooperative relationships with more than 120 universities, established research institutes and international organizations in more than 40 countries and China Taiwan province as well as Hong Kong Administrative Region, and held more than 30 large-scale international academic conferences and educated more than 310 students abroad.