Northeast Agricultural University

Northeast Agricultural University (NEAU; ) is a public agricultural university in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. Founded in 1948, it is one of the key agricultural universities in China. It is affiliated with the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. It is funded by the Department of Education of the Heilongjiang Province. The university is a member of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction.

History
NEAU was established in 1948 originally as the Northeast Agricultural Institute (东北农学院). In January 1950, the institute was renamed Harbin Agricultural Institute (哈尔滨农学院). In October 1950, Shenyang Agricultural Institute (沈阳农学院) merged with Harbin Agricultural Institute, and the original name, Northeast Agricultural Institute, was restored.

In February 1994, Northeast Agricultural Institute merged with Heilongjiang Institute of Agricultural Administration (黑龙江省农业管理干部学院) to form Northeast Agricultural University.

Academics
NEAU is a comprehensive university featuring 16 schools and one department covering a wide array of disciplines beyond its core focus on agriculture such as engineering, sciences, economics, management, and arts.

The university is also home to several national and provincial key laboratories and research centers focused on agricultural and environmental sciences.

International Cooperation
NEAU has actively engaged in international collaborations, establishing partnerships with over 90 universities and research institutes from the United States, Japan, Russia, etc. There are 326 international students in NEAU. It has been focusing on forming international contacts mainly within northeast Asia and aim to become a hub for knowledge exchange in agriculture education and science and technology with countries in northeast Asia.

Controversies
One of the recurring complaints from students at NEAU pertains to the university’s handling of basic amenities and health safety measures. Referred to colloquially as "Northeast University of Water Cuts" and "Northeast University of Blackouts" by some students, NEAU has faced criticism for its poor campus infrastructure.

2008 Brucellosis Outbreak
In 2008, Northeast Agricultural University experienced a significant Brucellosis (Bang's disease) outbreak within its animal medicine department. An investigation uncovered that faculty had purchased infected goats for laboratory use without obtaining the necessary quarantine certificates. Supervision during laboratory tests was also inadequate, as teachers neglected to conduct on-site quarantine checks and allowed students to work without protective clothing, violating laboratory protocol. This negligence led to 28 individuals, including students and one teacher, contracting the disease. The university's dean and party secretary of the animal medicine department were dismissed as a result. The university subsequently issued an apology and provided compensation (30,000 RMB) to affected individuals.