The Foreign Language Department was set up with the foundation of Guizhou University in 1942. Ever since, it The College of International Studies of Guizhou University has not only brought up thousands of qualified foreign language graduates for the development of economy and society in Guizhou, but also made painstaking efforts to promote the progress of college English teaching at Guizhou University.

The College is made up of the following departments: English Department 1 (with the areas of linguistics, literature, and translation for undergraduate study), English Department 2 (with the area of science and technology, and economics and trade), Japanese Department, College-English Teaching Department, International Education Department, and Foreign Languages Training Center for Institutes of Higher Education in Guizhou. The College now offers four undergraduate programs: English Language and Literature,Business English,English for Sciences and Technology (EST),and Japanese. There are also 2 Masters programs in the areas of English Language and Literature, and Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics.

The College is responsible for the self-taught examination for higher education concerning the specialties of English and Business English in province, and has the sole Business English of Cambridge (BEC) Testing Center in Guizhou.

Presently, there are 992 formally registered undergraduates and more than 169 postgraduates at the College. There are 108 faculty members, including 3 professors, 23 associate professors and 53 lecturers.

The College has carried out joint programs with University of Greenwich and Chichester College of Science Technology and Art, Britain. It has also launched extensive co-operation with over 10 universities and institutions abroad, including Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, Britain, and Saga University, Tottori University and Yamaguchi University of Japan, Presbyterian College and Northwest Polytechnic of America, Suranaree University of Technology and Thepsatri Rajabhat University of Thailand.

The College is also a frequent host for foreign experts. Those who have made their investigations and delivered position speeches at the College include Mr. Yasushi Akashi, the former UN Deputy Secretary-General, Mr. Kurt W. Tong, the Press and Cultural Counselor of the U.S. Embassy to China, the Consul of the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu, and experts from some British universities. In the past 10 years, most of the teachers in the College have been abroad for studies, visits or work. In addition, ever since the reform and opening up to the outside world, 99 foreign teachers from the U.K, the U.S.A, Australia, New Zealand and Japan have worked in this college. Since 2000, over 10 Japanese majors have been to Japan for short-term study and exchange activities.