A College of Agriculture set up in 1905 at the former Imperial University of Peking is the starting point of China Agricultural University, which stands in the Haidian District of Beijing. In 1949 the agriculture colleges of three universities were merged into Beijing Agricultural University, and in 1995 that institution joined Beijing Agricultural Engineering University to form the present university. It is directly subordinate to the Ministry of Education.
The university’s English website lists colleges that range from Agronomy and Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine to Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, and Economics and Management. That spread explains why the institution is usually discussed in terms of the whole agricultural sector, from crops and animals to food, water and rural economics.
Rankings reflect this focus. ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects puts the university first in the world for Agricultural Sciences and second for Veterinary Sciences in 2026, and Wikipedia records the same positions for 2025. In the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities it is placed in the 151-200 band. Food Science and Technology is another leading subject, 3rd in ShanghaiRanking’s 2026 table and 2nd in 2025 according to Wikipedia.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Process Control, Project Management, Quality, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Thermodynamics, Transportations
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Strong collaborations with Ministry of Agriculture, international agricultural research institutions (e.g., CGIAR centers, Wageningen University).
Nanjing Agricultural University works in crop science and plant protection, agricultural resources and environment, and food science and engineering.
Shaanxi's Northwest A&F University, in Yangling, covers agronomy and plant science, forestry and soil science, and hydraulic and water conservancy engineering.
Southwest University, in Chongqing, joins agricultural science and biotechnology with life sciences, ecology and food science.
Shandong Agricultural University in Tai'an offers agronomy, plant protection and agricultural engineering.
Sichuan Agricultural University, based in Chengdu, teaches agronomy and crop science, animal science and technology, and forestry and landscape architecture.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Oklahoma State University in the United States combines agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering.
For a land-grant style comparison, Cornell University links engineering with agriculture and life sciences in the United States.
Brazil's São Paulo State University covers agriculture, mechanical engineering and biotechnology.
University of Reading, in the United Kingdom, is known for agriculture and meteorology.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
How old is China Agricultural University?
Its origin is the College of Agriculture founded in 1905 in the former Imperial University of Peking. The present university took shape in 1995.
Which institutions merged to create it?
In 1995 Beijing Agricultural University and Beijing Agricultural Engineering University merged. Beijing Agricultural University had itself been formed in 1949 from the agriculture colleges of three universities.
In which part of Beijing is it located, and who supervises it?
It stands in the Haidian District of Beijing. The university is directly under the Ministry of Education.
Which fields can students study there?
The English website lists colleges such as Agronomy and Biotechnology, Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, Resources and Environmental Sciences, Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, and Economics and Management. Applicants should check which degrees are open to international students.
How does it rank for agriculture?
ShanghaiRanking's 2026 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects lists it first for Agricultural Sciences and second for Veterinary Sciences. Wikipedia reports the same positions for 2025.
Where does it stand in general university rankings?
It is placed in the 151-200 band of ShanghaiRanking's 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and Wikipedia lists it among the top 200 in 2026 world rankings. Subject tables show a stronger position than the overall table.
How can international applicants find information?
The university runs an English website at en.cau.edu.cn. Entry rules, languages of instruction and fees differ by degree, so they should be confirmed there.
Agriculture, Environmental Engineering, Food Safety, Innovation, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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