The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences focuses its wide-ranging activities on education and research covering agriculture and related sciences. The profile of the WUELS and its mission are directly involved in transformation programmes dealing with rural development and food quality and management, with full respect paid to social support and interaction. The knowledge acquired and the research projects realised at the WUELS make provision for future development, regarding all aspects of environmentally sustainable development, which is friendly to human and animal welfare.
The University guarantees intellectual adventure, adapts to the needs of the job market, and gives students the opportunity to study and intern abroad, as well as conduct advanced research under the supervision of top scientists. As one of the most prestigious colleges in Poland, its graduates are highly sought after by employers. In fact, managers and specialists of big Polish companies are often graduates themselves.
The University's high market value of education earned it a place among Newsweek's top 20 universities in Poland, ranking it above such famous colleges as Warsaw, Wrocław, Poznań, and Jagiellonian University.
The idea that "A good university can't function without valuable researchers" led Wprost to award the University third place behind Warsaw SGGW and Poznań University of Life Sciences.
The University scored so well due to great standards of education, the achievements of the faculty staff, the quality of the research, library and computing systems, and the verification of knowledge.
The heritage of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences is deeply rooted in the traditions of two institutions founded in Lvov: The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry of Lvov Polytechnic in Dublany and the Veterinary School of Medicine, founded in 1881. The post-war chapter in the history of the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences was opened in the autumn of 1945 when the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine were founded at the combined University and Polytechnic, the only institution of higher education in Wrocław at that time. In 1951 these two Faculties were incorporated in the newly opened Higher School of Agriculture renamed the Agricultural University of Wrocław in 1972 and the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences in 2006.
At present, the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (WUELS) a well-recognised scientific and educational centre, is the only agricultural university in the south-west region of Poland. The WUELS employs about 1,500 people, (160 full and associate professors). Full and part-time students (11,000) are offered a wide range of degree courses in agriculture and related areas.
In 1990 the AUW joined the TEMPUS programme in collaboration with other Polish and EU universities. In the years 1999 and 2000 the AUW became a partner institution in 3 networks within the framework of the CEEPUS programme.
Research projects carried out at the AUW are financially supported by the Polish Committee for Scientific Research (KBN), industry, local government and international foundations. The results obtained in these projects are published in scientific journals in Poland and abroad. A number of international conferences are held at the WUELS every year. Many researchers are members of prestigious international organisations.
The WUELS possess over 100 facilities, including a modern sports centre. The WUELS provides accommodation in student houses for 1800 students (90 percent of non-Wrocław residents).
Every year, about 100 research projects financed from grants and ca. 100 commissioned projects are carried out. The results are published in as many as 2000 publications, a fifth of them in international journals. The WUELS is an organiser of international congresses and scientific conferences.
The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has signed bilateral agreements with 52 universities in different parts of the world. The WUELS participates in the Socrates/Erasmus, CEEPUS, Leonardo da Vinci, COST and 5th and 6th EU Framework Programmes.