Henan Agricultural University (HAU) grew out of Henan Public Agricultural Specialized School, which was founded in 1912. 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 as Henan Agricultural University in December, 1984.

HAU now is a comprehensive university with ten branches of learning: agronomy, medicine, science, engineering, arts, economics, management, law and education. The academic work of HAU is organized into twenty colleges: College of Agronomy, College of Forestry, College of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, College of Mechanical & Electronic Engineering, College of Economics & Management, College of Tobacco, College of Plant Protection, College of Horticulture, College of Rural Development and Management, College of Information & Management Science, College of Life Science, College of Food Scientific Technology, College of Resources & Environment, College of Arts and Law, College of Science, College of Foreign Languages, College of Physical Education, College of International Education, College of Continuing Education. At present, HAU has one first-class discipline authorized to confer doctor’s degree, one national key discipline of first class, two second-class national key disciplines, 34 key provincial and ministerial disciplines, and there are 6 post-doctoral research centers, 28 specialties for Doctoral candidates, 73 specialties for Master candidates and 62 specialties for undergraduates.