Ethyl ferulate was synthesized from ethanol and ferulic acid by direct esterification using cation exchange resin as catalyst．The effects of resin type，amount of catalyst，reaction time，materials ratio and repeatability of catalyst on the synthesis were studied．The optimal reaction conditions were given as follows：m(resin)∶m(ferulic acid)=12%，n(ethanol)∶n(ferulic acid)= 6∶1, reflux reaction time 7 h．The yield of product was 83.4％ and 78.1% respectively under above conditions. The conversion rate of ferulic acid and yield of product keep greater than 81% and 75% respectively after the 732# resin was used four times.