Zunyi Medical University was founded in 1947 and was the first undergraduate medical institution established by the Communist Party of China after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. In 1969, it was renamed Zunyi Medical College to support the "Third Front Construction" and relocated to Zunyi City. The university started accepting graduate students in 1955, making it one of the first institutions to offer postgraduate programs in the country after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. In 1981, it became one of the first colleges authorized to award master's degrees nationwide, with 9 master's programs approved, accounting for half of the province. In 2016, the university became a jointly constructed institution by the National Health Commission and the People's Government of Guizhou Province, and in 2018, it was renamed Zunyi Medical University.