The predecessor of the College of Foreign Languages was the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Office of the NEFU’s Basic Department. Its professional training began in 1983, the Foreign Language Department was established in 1985, and the College of Foreign Languages was officially founded in 1999. After over 20 years of development, the college has adopted the motto, “East or West, Think and Act,” accumulating a profound cultural heritage. The college offers three undergraduate programs: English, Japanese, and Russian, as well as two university foreign language teaching departments. In 2011, Heilongjiang Province designated the English program as a key program and included it in the 2021 National First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction List. The Russian program was also included in the 2021 list of Provincial First-Class Undergraduate Program Construction.

The college follows the “focusing on the undergraduate foundation” principle and promotes the “Four Returns” initiative. Its fundamental mission is to cultivate successors for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, implementing the philosophy of “whole-person education.” The college serves the country's and local communities' development needs, aiming to cultivate high-quality, internationally minded, innovative, and versatile talents with a deep-rooted Chinese sentiment, a global vision, a creative spirit, and the NEFU temperament.

The college boasts rich educational resources, including over 9,000 foreign language books and journals, 140 types of domestic and international periodicals, and a wealth of audiovisual materials. The Language Lab Center, which spans over 600 square meters, features a simultaneous interpreting room, recording studio, computer-assisted translation room, digital voice room, autonomous learning room, and multimedia classrooms.

The college emphasizes the development of students’ innovation and entrepreneurial abilities, encouraging them to participate in various competitions. The college annually initiates around 30 student innovation projects, including approximately eight national-level projects. The college’s students have achieved outstanding results in multiple competitions, such as the “FLTRP·National Talent Cup” National English Competition.

The college actively promotes international exchanges and cooperation, establishing partnerships with renowned universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, Australia, and other countries. It has engaged in talent cultivation, faculty and student exchanges, and academic cooperation, and it actively sends outstanding students to international volunteer organizations for internships and practical experiences. Each year, more than 20 students receive funding from the China Scholarship Council and other programs to study abroad or participate in exchange programs.