Ningbo University was founded in 1986 with a donation from the world-renowned shipping magnate Y.K. Pao, a native of Ningbo, and Comrade Deng Xiaoping inscribed the university's name. At the beginning of its establishment, the university benefited from counterpart support by Peking University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, the University of Science and Technology of China, and the former Hangzhou University, enabling a high-start development trajectory. In 1996, the original Ningbo University, Ningbo Teachers College, and the Ningbo Branch of Zhejiang Fisheries College merged to form the new Ningbo University.
During his tenure in Zhejiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the directive: "Strive to build Ningbo University into a first-class local comprehensive university in China, contributing greater efforts to Zhejiang's goal of building an innovative province and constructing a socialist harmonious society." Throughout its development, Ningbo University has received care and support from Party and state leaders, provincial and municipal governments, overseas Ningbo entrepreneurs, alumni, and various sectors of society. Currently, it is recognized as a national "Double First-Class" university, a co-construction project by the Ministry of Education, Zhejiang Province, and Ningbo City, one of Zhejiang's first batch of key provincial construction universities, and a high-level university in Zhejiang