Founded in 1978, GUCAS is the first graduate school in China with the ratification of the State Council. Backed by more than 110 institutes of the CAS, which are located at more than 20 cities all over the country, GUCAS is headquartered in Beijing with 4 campuses, and 5 branches in Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Lanzhou. From GUCAS, graduated China's first doctoral student in science, first doctoral student in engineering, first female doctoral student and first student with double doctoral degrees in China. On the 20th anniversary of GUCAS in 1998, President Jiang Zemin of the People's Republic of China wrote this inscription for the University: "Revitalizing China through science and education, and emphasizing the cultivation and nurturing of talented people." By 2004, 50,000 graduate students had graduated from GUCAS ,among whom there are nearly 20,000 PhD. students..

　  GUCAS offers programs in nine major academic fields: science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, philosophy, economics, literature, education and management science. The university is authorized to grant advanced degrees in 26 primary academic disciplines which include Master degree conferring rights in 130 secondary disciplines, and Doctoral degree rights in 114 secondary disciplines. 

　　 GUCAS offers programs in nine major academic fields: science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, philosophy, economics, literature, education and management science.