Basic information and contact details for Wageningen University & Research
Wageningen University and Research has the unique position of being the only university in the Netherlands to focus on healthy food and the living environment. Wageningen University & Research's history dates back to 1876, when it opened as a national agricultural college.
Wageningen University & Research consistently ranks as one of the world’s top universities. In its life sciences specialism in particular, it’s considered one of the best universities in the world.
Its mission is "to explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life". The university’s 20 bachelor programmes all share this common theme, from agrotechnology, to molecular life, to international land management.
The university has 6 English taught programmes.
The university’s expertise in food and the environment puts it in high demand to produce research for the Dutch government, businesses and nonprofits. Its facilities are commissioned by these groups to explore new solutions for healthy living. Their projects have ranged from seeking innovation in sustainable energy to finding ways of making 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.
The town of Wageningen, where the university is based, is a historic town on the banks of the Rhine. Each year in May the town holds a festival which draws in thousands of visitors, celebrating the town’s significance as the site of the liberation of the Netherlands at the end of the Second World War.
Rankings
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World University Rankings 2025
Breakdown via year: Overall
Ranking positions 2016 to 2025
2025
=67th
2024
=64th
2023
59th
2022
53rd
2021
=62nd
2020
59th
2019
=59th
2018
64th
2017
65th
2016
=47th
Precise ranks and overall scores are shown for the institutions toward the top of a ranking; for institutions with banded ranks, please see the relevant ranking tables for an indication of their scores.
Impact Rankings
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Impact Rankings 2024
Breakdown via year: Overall
Impact Ranking positions 2021 to 2024
2024
101-200th
2023
101-200th
2022
65th
2021
201-300th
Precise ranks and overall scores are shown for the institutions toward the top of a ranking; for institutions with banded ranks, please see the relevant ranking tables for an indication of their scores.
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