In July 1958, the people's government of Shaanxi Province decided to rebuild Yan'an University. In 1998, Yan'an Medical College, Yan'an People's Hospital and Yan'an University merged to form a new Yan'an University, which was listed as a key university in Shaanxi Province. In 2005, the people's government of Shaanxi Province and the Ministry of Education jointly built Yan'an University. In 2011, the school was listed as a high-level construction university in Shaanxi Province.