The international Chinese education at East China Normal University (ECNU) began in 1965. In 1984, ECNU became one of the first four universities to offer undergraduate programs in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. In 2020, this program was selected as a national-level first-class undergraduate program construction site. It ranks at the top level in the "Best Chinese Universities by Subject (ShanghaiRanking)". ECNU is also one of the earliest institutions in China to offer master's and doctoral degree programs in international Chinese education, forming a complete talent cultivation chain from undergraduate to master's and doctoral degree programs, and from professional degrees to academic degrees in the field of international Chinese education.

The School of International Chinese Studies offers a full range of programs for international students, spanning from short-term to long-term, and from non-degree to degreeprograms.