南华大学由中南工学院与衡阳医学院于2000年3月合并组建，2002年10月核工业第六研究所并入。学校由工业和信息化部、生态环境部、国家卫生健康委员会、国家国防科技工业局、中国核工业集团公司与湖南省人民政府共建，是湖南省国内一流大学建设高校、国家中西部高校基础能力建设工程支持建设高校，形成了鲜明的“核特色、医品牌、环保优势”，以工学、医学为主，9大学科门类协调发展。

University of South China was founded in March 2000 through the merger of Central South Institute of Technology and Hengyang Medical College, with the Sixth Research Institute of Nuclear Industry incorporated in October 2002. Co-constructed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, National Health Commission, State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, China National Nuclear Corporation, and Hunan Provincial People's Government, it is a key university under Hunan's domestic first-class university construction program and supported by the National Basic Ability Construction Project for Western and Central China Universities. The university has distinct strengths in nuclear science, medical disciplines, and environmental protection, with engineering and medicine as its main pillars and coordinated development across 9 academic disciplines.

学校设有25个直属学院、8所直属型附属医院，63个本科招生专业，8个一级学科博士学位授权点，26个一级学科硕士学位授权点，5个一级学科博士后科研流动站。现有全日制本科生39000余人，博士、硕士研究生7700余人，国际学生近500人；师资队伍4000余人，含长江学者、国家杰青等国家级人才100余名，省部级人才172名。拥有19个国家级一流本科专业，3个国家级实验教学示范中心，32门国家级一流课程，临床医学、化学等8个学科进入ESI全球前1%。

The university comprises 25 directly affiliated schools, 8 affiliated hospitals, 63 undergraduate programs, 8 first-level doctoral programs, 26 first-level master's programs, and 5 post-doctoral research stations. It has over 39,000 full-time undergraduates, 7,700 postgraduates, and nearly 500 international students. The faculty exceeds 4,000 members, including over 100 national-level talents (e.g., Changjiang Scholars, National Distinguished Youth Fund recipients) and 172 provincial-level talents. It boasts 19 national first-class undergraduate programs, 3 national experimental teaching demonstration centers, 32 national first-class courses, and 8 disciplines (including Clinical Medicine and Chemistry) ranked in the top 1% of ESI globally.

学校先后承担863计划、973计划等国家级科研项目3900余项，获国家级科技奖励14项；与国际原子能机构、英国剑桥大学等30余所国际机构建立合作，主办《中国动脉硬化杂志》等学术期刊。秉承“明德、博学、求是、致远”校训，弘扬“南华精神”，正朝着“双一流”建设目标迈进。

The university has undertaken over 3,900 national-level research projects (e.g., 863 Program, 973 Program) and won 14 national science and technology awards. It collaborates with over 30 international institutions, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the University of Cambridge, and publishes academic journals such as Chinese Journal of Arteriosclerosis. Upholding the motto "Virtue, Erudition, Truth-seeking, and Aspiration," and promoting the "South China Spirit," the university is advancing toward its goal of becoming a double-first-class university.