Wageningen University and Research Centre (also known as Wageningen UR or WUR) is a collaboration between Wageningen University, the Van Hall Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture (Dienst Landbouwkundig Onderzoek).

Wageningen University started out when the state took over the Wageningen local council’s Agricultural College in 1876. By 1904 the level of education had been developed to a higher level and the institution was renamed the National Higher College of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry. In 1918 Wageningen’s status as an institute of higher education was legally ratified, and it became the National Agricultural College.

Numbers:
Total students enrolled (2010-2011): 9,600
International students: 30% of master’s students and 50% of PhD students are international.

Foreign student breakdown: (October 2010)
The Netherlands: 5,036
Europe except NL: 825
Asia: 498
Africa: 255
South America: 90
Central America: 36
North America: 27
Oceanie: 4

At present, there are 35,000 graduates, of whom 29,710 are Dutch and 5,290 have other nationalities; 8% of the Dutch graduates and 66% of the other nationalities live/work abroad.

Overall ranking:
In the 2012 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Wageningen University was ranked 75th overall in the world.
In the more specialised Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan, Wageningen University is ranked second in the field of agriculture, behind the University of California, Davis.
The Shanghai Index ranks Wageningen University as number 37 in the field of Life Sciences and Agriculture.

Atmosphere:
Unlike many Dutch universities, Wageningen UR is largely concentrated in one location at the Wageningen Campus. The campus is a combination of existing buildings and four new buildings. Because the student population is growing so rapidly (the number of first year students has doubled from 1,000 five years ago), more buildings are planned and construction has begun on a new debate/cultural centre.

With over 100 different nationalities represented on campus, students might see Palestinians working side by side with Isrealis and might debate animal rights issues with people from Africa, China, and North America. In addition, the student council is run in English, specifically to get non-Dutch students involved in school leadership.

Wageningen University’s international outreach doesn’t stop when students graduate – there are alumni associations around the world, including Africa, China, and Brazil.

Read an interview with two international students at Wageningen University.

Focus:
Motto: For quality of life

According to its website, the mission of Wageningen UR is: "To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life." To that end, the school trains specialists in life sciences and focuses its research on scientific, social and commercial problems in the field of life sciences and natural resources. In the field of agricultural science, the university is considered world-class.

Students at Wageningen UR work on current world issues, such as the availability of healthy and safe food, dealing with climate change and developing sustainable energy supplies.

Wageningen has a strong focus on internationalisation and provides many opportunities for students to gain international experience, including short exchange programmes, international internships and double degree programmes developed with partner universities. All MSc programmes are taught in English.

All Bachelor programmes are taught in Dutch, except Tourism. Read more about:

• Bachelor's programmes
• Exchange possibilities
• Master’s programmes
• PhD possibilities

Acceptance rates:
Of 7,000 international student applicants per year, between 2,000 and 3,000 students are accepted. Of those, approximately 1,000 get a scholarship or funding.

Read more about admission requirements for bachelor’s programmes, master's programmes for EU students, and master’s programmes for non-EU students. 

As an international student, you will also likely need a residence permit and possibly a visa. Read more about those here.

Cost:
Tuition fees for Dutch students are set annually by the government. For 2011-2012, this is € 1,713. Tuition fees for international students are set by each school individually and varies per academic programme. For non-Dutch students, the tuition fee will range from € 8,925 to € 10,500. To find out which category you fall in, read more here.

Cost of living:
Average living expenses per month: 800-900 including accommodation
Accommodation (including gas, water, electricity): € 300 – 330 for a studio apartment including utilities

A number of items with their average prices:
Glass of wine or beer in restaurant : € 2.50 / 3.00
Glass of wine or beer at frat party  : € 1.00
Meal in a typical student restaurant : € 10.00

Financial assistance:
There are scholarship options for both Dutch and non-Dutch students. Read more on the Nuffic grant finder search engine. 

EU students with valid residence permits can also get part-time jobs. Students from outside the EU must get a work permit in order to get a part-time job and, even with this permit, may only work for a maximum of ten hours per week (which can be condensed into 3 months of full-time work). 

Read more about this on the Wageningen site or on the Nuffic website.

Accommodation:
Student housing is guaranteed for international students. There are four apartment buildings close to campus as well as housing a little further away, but beautifully situated on the edge of the Veluwe forest. A studio apartment will be about € 300 – 330 including utilities. Check these links for more housing information:

• General housing info
• Family housing
• Temporary housing
• Private market housing

Nightlife:
The nightlife at Wageningen University is centred mainly on the four fraternities. Though these are mainly aimed at the Dutch students, they do also throw some big public parties. Of course, there are also bars and cafés in the centre of Wageningen, some of which cater to the student population with cheap drinks and meals. But students in university housing need not look any further than their apartment building – most have their own bar or restaurant built in.

Who’s the boss:
Dr Aalt Dijkhuizen chairs the executive board and Prof Dr Martin Kropff is Rector Magnificus.

Alluring alumni:

• Karel Vuursteen, CEO of Heineken
• Katja Staartjes, first Dutch woman on Mount Everest
• Henk Vredeling, Dutch Minister of Defence (1973–1977) and European Commissioner (1977–1981)
• Gerrit Braksm Dutch Minister of Agriculture (1930-1990)
• Ramsewak Shankar, 4th President of Suriname from 1988 to 1990. Previously Agriculture & Fisheries Minister from 1969 to 1971. 
• Willie Smits, trained forester, microbiologist, conservationist, animal rights activist and social entrepreneur.

Prospectus:
Request a brochure here (Dutch)

Contact:

Visiting address:
Forum - building no. 102
Droevendaalsesteeg 2
6708 PB Wageningen
The Netherlands

The Student Desk is open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and from 9am to 1pm on Fridays (Dutch time).

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 414
6700 AK Wageningen
The Netherlands