Beijing Normal University (BNU), colloquially known as Beishida (北师大), is a public research university located in Beijing, China, with a strong emphasis on the humanities and sciences' basic disciplines.

It kept its "normal school" terminology to mark its role in training schoolteachers in the early 20th Century. 

It is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China and was recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education as a Class A Double First Class University.BNU is often ranked no.1 among Chinese universities in Education according to the most recent QS World University Rankings by Subjects and Academic Ranking of World Universities by Subjects.

BNU was one of the first Chinese institutions to recruit international students and now has around 1,800 long-term international students from over 100 countries and regions. Known for its Mandarin Chinese study programs, BNU also collaborates with Princeton University for the Princeton in Beijing program. 

BNU also collaborates with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) on SUSS's Master of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature. The university’s current campus was built in 1954, located in northwest downtown Beijing in the Haidian district, and is the closest Haidian university to Tiananmen Square.