湖南师范大学是国家“双一流”建设高校、国家“211工程”重点建设大学、教育部与湖南省重点共建“双一流”建设高校，入选国家“111计划”“卓越法律人才教育培养计划”“卓越医生教育培养计划”“国家建设高水平大学公派研究生项目”“国家级新工科研究与实践项目”“国家级大学生创新创业训练计划”，是全国深化创新创业教育改革示范高校、国家大学生文化素质教育基地、教育部人文社会科学重点研究基地、国家体育与艺术师资培养培训基地。

Hunan Normal University is a national "Double First-Class" construction university, a key university under the national "211 Project", and a key co-construction "Double First-Class" construction university by the Ministry of Education and Hunan Province. It has been selected into the national "111 Plan", "Excellent Legal Talents Education and Training Plan", "Excellent Doctor Education and Training Plan", "National Construction of High-Level University Public Postgraduate Program", "National New Engineering Research and Practice Project", "National College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Plan". It is a national demonstration university for deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education reform, a national college students' cultural quality education base, a key research base for humanities and social sciences of the Ministry of Education, and a national training base for physical education and art teachers.

学校创建于1938年，前身为国立师范学院，新中国成立之初，国立师范学院并入湖南大学。1953年8月全国院系调整，湖南大学文学院、理学院的部分系科和师范专修科组建为湖南师范学院。1984年，学校更名为湖南师范大学。学校现有7个校区，占地2744余亩，建筑面积131余万平方米。主校区西偎麓山，东濒湘江，风光秀丽，是全国绿化“400佳”单位之一。

The university was founded in 1938, formerly known as the National Normal College. At the beginning of the founding of New China, the National Normal College was merged into Hunan University. In August 1953, during the national department adjustment, some departments of the College of Liberal Arts and College of Science of Hunan University and the Normal Training Department were reorganized into Hunan Normal College. In 1984, the school was renamed Hunan Normal University. The university currently has 7 campuses, covering an area of more than 2,744 mu and a building area of more than 1.31 million square meters. The main campus is adjacent to Lushan Mountain in the west and Xiangjiang River in the east, with beautiful scenery, and is one of the national "400 Best" units for greening.