The university originated from Shuntian School (Shuntian-fu xuetang 顺天府学堂) established in Beijing in 1902 and Beiyang Women Normal School (Beiyang nushiyuan xuetang 北洋女师范学堂) established in Tianjin in 1906.

Graduates include Deng Yingchao, Liu Qingyang, Guo Longzhen, Yang Xiufeng, Kang Shien, Liang Suming, Zhang Shenfu and Tang Yongtong.

Among the graduates are academicians such as Yan Luguang and Hao Bolin and famous coaches and athletes who won championship in international games such as Xu Shaofa and Cai Zhenhua.

[1] The university embraces a faculty and staff of 2,852 with a teaching faculty of 1,480 among whom there are 359 professors, 974 associate professors, one academician of China Academy of Sciences, 106 provincial model experts, 138 Ph.D. supervisors and 871 postgraduate tutors.

The disciplines and specialties in Hebei Normal University have covered nine fields: philosophy, economics, laws, literature, history, education, management, sciences, and engineering.

The other affiliated units of the university include Computer and Network Center; Analysis and Test Center; Editor Office of University Journal; University Logistic Service Group; Publishing House of Chinese Philology Weekly; Thoughts and Wizdom Journal; University Hospital; Affiliated Middle School; Affiliated Primary School; Affiliated Experimental Middle and Primary School; Affiliated Minority College (Tibet); Department of Computor Teaching; Hebei Provincial Center for Modern Higher Education Technology; Hebei Vocational Education Research Institute; Hebei Research Institute of Pedagogy; Discipline Education Research Institute and Ancient Books Selecting and Sorting-out Research Institute.

[5][6] HNU ranked third in 2015 Top 4 Chinese Language and Literature Universities in Hebei.