Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University

Are you ready to make a difference for climate, nature, food, health, and society? Whether you already know where you want to make an impact, or you’re still figuring it out, studying at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) means working directly on creating tomorrow’s world today. You take on every challenge together and from different perspectives. It’s science that you can actively engage with. A bit different, always in a way that fits you.

Wageningen University & Research is a leading international university focused on the domains of healthy food and living environments. Students at WUR study and work on some of the world’s most urgent challenges, including climate change, biodiversity, food systems, health, sustainability, and the future of society. WUR combines specialised research with education, bringing together the natural and social sciences to help shape the world of tomorrow.

Key stats

WUR offers a broad range of bachelor’s and master’s programmes:

• 8 English-taught bachelor’s programmes
• 40+ master’s programmes
• +- 13.000 students (58% female / 42% male), of which 28% are internationals
• over 64,000 alumni 
   

USPs

• Study with purpose
• Specialised in healthy food and living environment
• Leading reputation in its field
• International classroom, global perspective
• Small student city, big student life
• Vibrant campus with strong industry and research links
• Learning by doing
• Future-focused programmes with real-world relevance
   

Why students choose WUR

Students choose WUR because they want to make a meaningful impact through their studies. WUR offers a strong academic environment for students who are interested in topics such as food, nature, climate, health, data, animals, the environment, and sustainable living. The university is known for combining academic depth with real-world relevance, allowing students to work on contemporary global issues during their degree.

A place to study with purpose

Studying at Wageningen means more than earning a degree. It means becoming part of a university community that is committed to creating practical and scientific solutions for global challenges. Whether they already know the field on which they want to make an impact or are still exploring their options, WUR positions its study as a direct contribution to tomorrow’s world.

About Wageningen University and Research

Wageningen University & Research has the unique position of being the only university in the Netherlands to focus on healthy food and the living environment.

The history of the university dates back to 1876, when it opened as a national agricultural college. Then, in 1918, it was officially founded as the result of a collaboration between Wageningen University and the Wageningen Research Foundation.

Wageningen University & Research consistently ranks as one of the world’s top universities, with the mission "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". In the life sciences specialism, it is considered one of the best universities in the world. The university earned the title of the world's most sustainable university for the ninth consecutive year in 2025.

The university offers 20 bachelor's programmes, out of which 8 are English-taught, and more than 40 master's programmes with themes ranging from agrotechnology and molecular life to international land management.

Our student numbers circle around 13,000, representing more than 100 nationalities between them, and amount to more than 64,000 alumni.

The Dutch government, businesses, and nonprofits highly demand the university's expertise in food and the environment to produce research. These entities also commission the university's facilities to explore new solutions for healthy living. Their projects have ranged from seeking innovations in sustainable energy to finding ways to make plastic from seaweed.

Fittingly, given its focus on the healthy natural environment, Wageningen University & Research made it a goal to become carbon neutral and achieved this goal in 2015.

Wageningen, where the university is based, is a historic town on the banks of the Rhine River. Each year, in May, the town holds a festival that draws in thousands of visitors, celebrating the town’s significance as the site where the liberation of the Netherlands took place at the end of the Second World War.