Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Wageningen is a university town of around 43,000 people, including more than 12,000 students. The university was founded in 1918 and in recent decades it has evolved into one of the world’s leading educations and research centres in the plant, animal, environmental, agrotechnological, food and social sciences. In fact, Wageningen was recently ranked second in the world in Agriculture & Forestry by the QS world subject rankings. Wageningen is the central city in “Food Valley”, regarded as the largest food and nutrition research and development area in the world.
Cycling is the best mode of transport around Wageningen and every Saturday a stall in the main square has good bargains. All of the main roads have separate cycling lanes which have their own traffic signals.
Wageningen is the site of the formal surrender of the Germans to the Allies in the Netherlands on May 5th, 1945. Wageningen is the place to be on 5th of May as celebrations in the Netherlands are centred around the town.
Exchange Student Travel Grant
New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who apply to go on exchange to Wageningen are automatically considered for a Massey University Exchange Student Travel Grant. No additional paperwork needs to be submitted.
Visas
Because of the trade agreements between The Netherlands and New Zealand, New Zealand passport holders don’t need to apply for a temporary stay Visa, however they will need to apply for a residence permit.
Accommodation
Idealis is the main student housing provider in Wageningen. You can apply for available rooms from Idealis through Roommatch.nl. Students from Non-European countries will receive priority when applying for rooms. Idealis student rooms in Wageningen generally range between €300 and €650 per month (including basic net rent and service charges).
Academic calendar
The academic year begins in September and runs across six study periods, which are 8, 8, 4, 4, 8 and 8 weeks in length. Each study period ends with an exam.
Insurance
Non-Dutch students must be adequately insured for medical expenses while staying in the Netherlands. This will be checked by the registration officials when you apply for a residence permit.
International students can purchase AON health insurance from the university for around 50 euros per month. This insurance also covers liability.
Living expenses
The average cost of living for an international exchange student in Wageningen ranges from €1000 to €1500 per month (includes accommodation).
Courses
As a general rule, courses are only offered once a year and often involve group-work. Students can select two courses (12 ECTS Credits) during the 8-week periods and one course (6 ECTS Credits) during the 4-week periods. Wageningen University has an English-based teaching environment.