Established in 1958, the history of the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications can be traced to the training class for the cadres of the General Postal Administrations during the wartime in 1942.

[2] Zhao Zhigang, Chief of the then Wartime General Postal Administration, served concurrently as the head teacher of the training class and the principal of the school in succession during the period from 1942 to 1947.

In 1948, the school was formally named the East China Posts and Telecommunications School at Yidu (now called Qingzhou), affiliated to the East China General Administration of Posts and Telecommunications.

After the reform of the leadership system of national universities in February 2000, the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications started to be jointly administered by both the central and the provincial government, with the provincial government playing the principle role.

[3] In March 2013, the university merged with the Nanjing College for Population Management (南京人口管理干部学院).