NEFU comprises a graduate school, 20 colleges, and one teaching department, offering 73 undergraduate programs and 26 first-class national-level undergraduate program construction sites. It has nine first-level discipline doctoral programs, two professional doctoral degree programs, 18 first-level discipline master’s programs, and 19 professional master’s degree categories. The university also has 10 postdoctoral research mobile stations and one postdoctoral research workstation. NEFU has two world-class disciplines under national construction—Forestry Engineering and Forestry—and four nationally leading disciplines: Biology, Ecology, Landscape Architecture, and Agricultural and Forestry Economic Management. Additionally, it houses three national key first-level disciplines, 11 national key second-level disciplines, eight key disciplines under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, two key (cultivation) disciplines under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, one key discipline group in Heilongjiang Province, and seven key first-level disciplines in the Heilongjiang province. It also has a State Training Base for Talents in Life Science and Technology, which was co-approved by the State Development Planning Commission, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Education. a Training Base for Research and Teaching Talents (Biology) approved by the Ministry of Education. NEFU is also a state pilot university for reforming the educational system and State Training Program of Excellent Engineer and Excellent Agricultural and Forest Talents. It is also a demonstration university for deepening innovation and entrepreneurship education by the Ministry of Education and a national practice-based innovation and entrepreneurship base for universities.

NEFU actively engages in international exchange and cooperation, establishing intercollegiate partnerships with over 100 universities and research institutions in nearly 30 countries and regions. Each year, approximately 150 experts and scholars from abroad, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, visit the university for lectures, research collaboration, and academic exchanges. Additionally, over 120 facultymembers are sent abroad annually for degree programs, training, educational visits, and research collaborations. The university has developed various student exchange programs with institutions in Russia, New Zealand, the UK, France, the US, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and other countries and regions. Additionally, the university actively selects students to pursue degrees abroad through national scholarship programs and jointly organizes Sino-foreign cooperative educational institutions and educational programs with the University of Auckland in New Zealand and Aston University in the United Kingdom. In May 2024, NEFUestablished the Hainan International Institute in Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone to create an international exchange platform through joint education programs, overseas study centers, research institutes, and faculty training programs. NEFU has hosted large international academic conferences, such as the “International Symposium on Tree Molecular Biology and Biotechnology” and the “International Symposium on Cross-Border Protection of Tigers and Leopards.” It is also a designated institution for receiving international students from over 100 countries under the Chinese Government Scholarship program.