The Department of Mathematics at Nanjing University originated from the mathematics department at the National Central University and the mathematics department at Jinling University. The mathematics department at Central University can be further traced back to the mathematics department at Nanjing Higher Normal School founded in 1920 by Professor Xiong Qinglai.

In 1952, the department was formally established under the name of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy, Nanjing University, through the readjustment of universities and colleges in China.

In 1958, the astronomy faculty was separated from the department and set up the new department of astronomy, while the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy changed its name to the Department of Mathematics.

In 1978, the faculty of computer technology was also separated from the department and established the new department of computer sciences. Since then, the structure of the Department of Mathematics has remained the same.

The department has been well-known for its long history, its strength, and its rigorous scholarship. Since its establishment, many outstanding mathematicians have worked here. It has always had a leading status at home and has been well-known abroad for its academic influences, especially in the areas of dynamic system, differential equations, number theory and K theory, and scientific and engineering computing.

The department currently has three undergraduate specialties, namely, the Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (a Characteristic Specialty Construction Point of the State Ministry of Education), Information and Computing Sciences, and Statistics.

At present, the department is a national training base for basic science research and teaching talents and is a Jiangsu advantaged subject with two grade-one subjects (mathematics is the national grade-one key subject and statistics is the Jiangsu grade-one key subject), and has ascended into the highest 1% in the ranking of ESI global subjects for its mathematics.