Wageningen University & Research, WUR

• Location: Wageningen (a small town), the Netherlands,
• Name: Wageningen University & Research (WUR),
• Language of instruction: Dutch, English,
• Institution type: state institution of higher learning, classical university,
• Teaching began: late 19th century,
• Number of students: 12,407 in June 2026,
• Programs in the 2025–2026 academic year: 21 bachelor's, 32 master's.

National academic rating permanently fixes the position of WUR in the top five of the best educational institutions of the country. It should be noted that the Wageningen University and the first 5 percent of the world's strongest universities. The most popular among applicants are the following specialties:

• medical direction;
• complex of natural sciences;
• control;
• social disciplines.

The quality of education is confirmed by the presence among the best 200 places in the world rating of teaching. Also - the criterion of prestige can be called the willingness of Dutch employers immediately after receiving a diploma to employ graduates of this university. Also yesterday's students WUR are listed and in the rest of the world.

The Student Service Centre advises students on academic matters and delays in their studies. It can also help them obtain support from a dean or psychologist.

Students with elite athlete status have flexible arrangements to combine their education with sports. These may involve rescheduling exams, extending assignment deadlines and adjusting mandatory attendance requirements. Students can make up individual course components or complete alternative assignments.

In 2026, WUR's academic structure comprised one faculty, five departments and 88 chair groups:

• Agrotechnologie en Voedingswetenschappen — 21 groups,
• Dierwetenschappen — 12 groups,
• Omgevingswetenschappen — 16 groups,
• Plantenwetenschappen — 18 groups,
• Sociale wetenschappen — 21 groups.

The bachelor's programs listed below are full-time and start in September.

The master's programs below are conducted in English. They are full-time, except for the program specifically marked as online.

Continuing education offers 84 open-enrollment courses, 47 Massive Open Online Courses and 16 corporate education programs.

In Keuzegids Universities 2023, Wageningen University was rated the best university in the Netherlands by its own students for the nineteenth consecutive time.

Research at WUR addresses climate, biodiversity, food production, healthy and safe nutrition, and the circular economy. Specific regulations and procedures support the independence of research. In 2026, WUR reported cumulative ERC totals of 19 Starting Grants and 18 Advanced Grants since 2007, and 10 Consolidator Grants since 2013. WUR recorded 302 dissertations in 2025.

Joint publications in 2025 were distributed by partner category as follows:

The other-partners category accounted for 215 joint WUR publications, including 177 from Wageningen University and 68 from Wageningen Research.

Since 1995, 48 companies have been established based on university developments. WUR's entrepreneurship statistics include 98 startups. In 2025, the university had 26 new licenses, and its patent portfolio contained 109 active patent families.

In 2025, WUR's alumni community numbered 71,151. Of these graduates, 51,727 were from the Netherlands and 19,424 were from other countries.

Idealis is the main provider of student accommodation in Wageningen and Ede. Its options are also suitable for PhD candidates. During July–August and January–February, priority may be available to students who have been unconditionally admitted to a WUR bachelor's or master's program, have paid their tuition and live more than 130 km from campus. A longer registration period improves a student's position in the queue for rooms.

Furnished and unfurnished rooms are available. For unfurnished accommodation, students must buy their own bed, mattress, table, chairs and kitchen supplies. Homestay accommodation provides a private room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. The accommodation provider advises students before they arrive in Wageningen and during their stay.

Campus Plaza has food and drink outlets on campus. The pub at the de Bongerd sports center serves food from 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, including vegetarian burgers, sandwiches, snacks and smoothies.

The de Bongerd sports center offers fitness, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing and diving. Sports rights are required to exercise, take group classes or join a student sports association. Student sports rights are available to WUR students, students at other universities and PhD candidates.

SWU Thymos represents student athletes, brings clubs together and organizes events. It is run by six students. The university has 32 student sports associations that organize practice sessions and social activities. Graduates can remain members for up to five years after graduation if they have the appropriate sports rights.

SWU Thymos internal competitions offer several formats:

• Beach volleyball — half-hour matches on the sports center's outdoor courts,
• Knotsbal — four against four, 30-minute matches, with up to 40 teams having participated at the same time,
• Soccer — seven against seven on half a pitch, 60-minute matches, with up to 32 teams,
• Futsal — five against five, hour-long matches on pitch C next to the tennis courts.

ESN Wageningen organizes social, cultural and sporting events, trips and excursions in the Netherlands and Europe. ISOW offers language and cultural classes, events and excursions for the foreign student community. SEASAW supports Southeast Asian students through gatherings, educational support and alumni talks.

The following associations represent international and religious communities:

• PPI Wageningen — Indonesian students,
• ISA Wageningen — Indian students,
• CASS Wageningen — Chinese students and scholars,
• UCAS — connections with the African community,
• WKSA — Korean students,
• MSA Avicenna — Muslim students,
• Navigators Studentenvereniging Wageningen, Ichthus Wageningen, VGSW and Dei Gratia C.S.F.R. — Christian associations.

Program associations organize academic and leisure activities and help students meet peers in later years. These include Aktief Slip for Environmental Sciences, Artemis for Geo-Information Science, Genius Loci for Landscape Architecture and Planning, Licere for Tourism, Society and Environment, M.S.A. Minoa for Marine Sciences, Nitocra for International Land and Water Management, and Pyrus for Earth and Environment.

Student parties take part in discussions about educational quality and student services. The university's Executive Board and ten associations cooperate under an agreement on responsible conduct. It addresses discrimination, physical and psychological violence and sexual misconduct, introduction activities, confidential contact persons, incident handling and responsible alcohol consumption.

Other associations offer a range of ways to participate in student life:

• Ceres — band nights, an off-site gala and the three-day Stupéfête festival,
• Franciscus — 800 members, social events and committee work,
• SSR-W — groups based on year of entry, debating societies and connections with sister associations across the Netherlands,
• Unitas — committees, societies, projects, events and parties,
• De Landbouwersvereniging Nji-Sri — a student association in Wageningen,
• BSG — 22 members, bringing together students from Brabant and those interested in the region,
• SHOUT — an LGBTQ social and advocacy organization,
• 't Noaberschop — an association for students from Twente and the Achterhoek,
• Yggdrasilstam — a student scouting organization,
• WSG Paragon — recreational and competitive gaming, including Minecraft, board games and Smash Ultimate, internal tournaments and participation in national and regional competitions.

As for the sizes, by the standards of the school they are average. WUR had 12,407 students in June 2026. Foreign citizens have equal rights with Dutch youth upon admission. The university's popularity was reflected in its 3,376 foreign students in June 2026. Two and a half thousand teachers are recruited from all over the world to carry the light of knowledge in this higher educational institution. As in all serious institutions of higher education, there are unique student exchange programs for obtaining additional knowledge in other countries. Students can always improve their erudition and mastery of specialty with the help of periodicals and specific literature from the student library.

WUR is a permanent member of the EUA group, which once again emphasizes its elite status.

The campus has high-tech laboratories and modern teaching buildings. The de Bongerd sports center welcomes students and staff at every ability level, from beginners to experienced athletes. In 2025, Wageningen Campus was home to 240 organizations: companies, institutes, nonprofit organizations, and small and medium-sized businesses, including startups.

The professorial staff includes 90 chair holders/professors, 93 professors holding personal chairs, 41 professors by special appointment and three professors of international education. In 2025, the workforce totaled 6936 full-time equivalents: 3567 at Wageningen University and 3369 at Wageningen Research.

All WUR buildings in Wageningen have unique numbers. Bus services connect the campus with the following railway stations:

• Ede-Wageningen — bus 103 to Campus/Omnia and Bornsesteeg, bus 303 to Campus/Omnia and Campus/Forum,
• Arnhem — bus 303 to Campus/Omnia and Campus/Forum,
• Nijmegen — bus 220 to Campus/Omnia and Campus/Forum.

The campus has seven large parking lots, three of which, P1–P3, belong to WUR. In the Unilever parking garage, P5, 230 spaces are available to the university. Visitors receive a special access code after their host has reserved a space. All WUR parking lots have spaces with electric vehicle charging stations.

The buildings are no more than a ten-minute walk from the main parking lots, with maps and signs to help visitors find their way. Parking is available directly next to the de Bongerd sports center. The campus speed limit is 30 km/h.

After a student accepts the Excellence Scholarship, the first-year invoice still lists living expenses, health insurance, liability insurance and the residence permit.

Access to Idealis room offers requires a one-time registration charge. For the homestay option, there is no registration charge. A one-time payment is due only after a room has been found.

First of all, the desire to learn and the availability of financial resources. The price is quite high for Europe. You can get one year of study at a bachelor's degree. The master's degree provides for the payment for two semesters.

Paying tuition is one of the conditions for entering a bachelor's program at Wageningen University.

ABF, ASP and Excellence scholarships are intended for prospective master's students starting in September. These university scholarships are not offered to students who are already enrolled. The final selection stage for the Excellence Scholarship and ASP involves a lottery, with the remaining candidates placed on a waiting list.

The Excellence Scholarship waives tuition for the full program duration of 24 months. It is intended for foreign students who have been unconditionally admitted to an eligible on-campus master's program starting in September. Applicants must not hold EU or EFTA nationality, including as an additional nationality. Requirements are a GPA of at least 80%, a First Class Honours bachelor's degree or equivalent, confirmation that English language requirements have been met, and official English test results. Applicants must have completed their bachelor's degree and have a diploma confirming it.

The Excellence Scholarship is available to citizens of the following countries:

• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Brazil,
• Canada,
• Chile,
• Colombia,
• Costa Rica,
• Cuba,
• Ecuador,
• Guatemala,
• Japan,
• Malaysia,
• Mexico,
• New Zealand,
• Peru,
• Singapore,
• South Korea,
• Thailand,
• Turkey,
• United Kingdom,
• United States of America.

The Africa Scholarship Programme (ASP) supports talented students from Africa. Applicants must be citizens of an African country, have unconditional admission to a master's program, hold a First Class Honours bachelor's degree with a GPA of at least 80%, and have confirmation that they meet the English language requirements, including official test results. Preference is given to applicants who do not yet hold a master's degree.

The Anne van den Ban Fund (ABF) supports talented students from developing countries in cooperation with the university and the WU Fellowship Programme. For the September intake, scholarships are intended for prospective first-year students in eligible on-campus master's programs. Applicants must hold the nationality of at least one country on the ABF list and must not hold EU nationality. Pre-master's students and those in online master's or double-degree programs are ineligible.

ASP and ABF each cover travel to and from the Netherlands, tuition and living expenses for 24 months, visa costs and health insurance.

ABF applicants need confirmation that they meet the English language requirements, including an accepted test result where required. They must hold a bachelor's degree confirmed by a diploma or another official document accepted by the university. There is no separate ABF application. Selection is competitive, and admission to a master's program does not guarantee a scholarship.

NL Scholarships are available for master's programs starting in September or February. This is partial support and cannot be used to meet WUR's initial payment requirements. Applicants may have either conditional or unconditional admission to an eligible on-campus master's program and must have a GPA of at least 80%. They must not have previously participated in a higher education degree program in the Netherlands. Online master's and double-degree programs are excluded. Holding additional EU or EEA nationality also makes an applicant ineligible.

The NL Scholarship is available to citizens of the following countries:

• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Brazil,
• Canada,
• Chile,
• Colombia,
• Costa Rica,
• Cuba,
• Ecuador,
• Guatemala,
• Honduras,
• India,
• Japan,
• Malaysia,
• Mexico,
• New Zealand,
• Peru,
• Singapore,
• South Africa,
• South Korea,
• Taiwan,
• Thailand,
• Turkey,
• United Kingdom,
• United States of America,
• Vietnam.

SWU Thymos subsidizes student membership in recognized ESV sports clubs that offer sports unavailable at the university sports center.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision