The center is the only ethnological base of education and scientific studies in northwest China can offer undergraduate program, MA program, PhD program and the mobile postdoctoral research station on ethnological studies.
The center consists of five institutes: Institute of Ethnology, Institute of Northwest Ethnic History, Institute of Marxist Ethno-National Theories and Policies, Institute of Sociology, and Institute of Tibetan Studies.
The center also attached a library, laboratory of visual anthropology, laboratory of psychological anthropology, online information and data center, and general office.
The staff has 32 members (untill 2019-08-01) includes 19 professors, 9 associate professors, 2 lecturers, and 2 staff crews. The total graduate students in progress are about 200.