Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, Hubei, was founded in 1898 as the Hubei Farming School by Zhang Zhidong, then governor of Hubei and Hunan, under the Guangxu Emperor of the Qing dynasty. In 1979 the State Council designated it a key national university under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and it adopted its present name in 1985. It became a Project 211 key university in 2005 and a university of the Double First-Class Construction in 2017.
The university is located in the main urban area of Wuhan, in central China. Its international education dates from 1960, and in 2003 it became the first pilot unit for developing highly educated foreign students in China. About 500 international students from 54 countries study there, roughly 70 percent of them at the doctoral level and 30 percent at the master’s level. The disciplines that attract them most are crop science, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and food science and engineering.
In the second round of the Double First-Class Construction, the disciplines selected were biology, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and agricultural and forestry economic management. In the first-round evaluation the university received the first grade in 7 of 9 indicators. In the Essential Science Indicators database it is in the top one percent worldwide in agronomy, life sciences, science, engineering, medicine and social sciences.
Research has produced notable results in hybrid rapeseed, green rice, high-quality breeding pigs, animal vaccines, premium citrus, test-tube potatoes, cotton, corn and freshwater fish. The university has won 30 national teaching achievement prizes. Its facilities include three national key laboratories, three national engineering research centres, one national biological breeding innovation platform and one frontier science centre of the Ministry of Education. It also has four national experimental teaching demonstration centres, six agricultural personnel training bases and eleven national off-campus practice bases.
In the QS rankings the university was 298th in Asia in 2025 and in the 901 to 950 band worldwide in 2026. Tuition and scholarships differ by programme and nationality. Check the current tariff. Teaching is mainly in Chinese, and a number of programmes for international students are taught in English.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Bioengineering, Ecology and Sustainability, Food Science, Life Sciences, Microbiology and Genetics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Project 211, Double First-Class Construction.
Research:
Hybrid rapeseed, green rice, high-quality breeding pigs, animal vaccines, premium citrus, test-tube potatoes, cotton, corn and freshwater fish.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
N/A
Current students***:
N/A
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Leading agricultural university in central China, national key laboratories, strong life sciences, Double First-Class status.
Cons
Specialised in agriculture and life sciences, teaching mainly in Chinese, competitive national admission.
Best For
Students interested in crop science, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine and food science at a leading Chinese agricultural university.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Where this institution leans on agriculture, food science and microbiology and genetics, South China Agricultural University does the same, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers engineering as well.
Guangzhou Medical University overlaps with this institution on microbiology and genetics, bioengineering and life sciences, so the two are easy to compare, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and enrols about 23,300 students.
Fujian Medical University is the closest domestic counterpart for microbiology and genetics, bioengineering and life sciences; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and enrols about 19,600 students.
Capital Medical University offers a comparable education in microbiology and genetics, bioengineering and life sciences: it enrols about 16,094 students, and is also a public institution.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of microbiology and genetics, bioengineering and life sciences can consider Wenzhou Medical University, and it covers optics as well, and enrols about 22,416 students.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Norway pursues a similar profile in agriculture, food science and microbiology and genetics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Abroad, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden) covers agriculture, food science and microbiology and genetics in a comparable way, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers bioinformatics as well.
Beyond national borders, University of Milan stands out as a comparable school for agriculture, food science and microbiology and genetics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers chemistry and statistics as well.
For a study option in Canada with a comparable spread of agriculture, food science and bioengineering, University of Guelph is the reference point: it covers bioinformatics as well, and enrols about 30,000 students.
Abroad, Royal Veterinary College (the United Kingdom) covers agriculture, microbiology and genetics and bioengineering in a comparable way, and it enrols about 2,500 students, and is also a public institution.
*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
Where is Huazhong Agricultural University?
In the main urban area of Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China.
When was it founded?
In 1898, as the Hubei Farming School, by Zhang Zhidong.
When did it adopt its present name?
In 1985.
When did it become a Double First-Class university?
In 2017.
Which disciplines are in the Double First-Class Construction?
Biology, horticulture, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and agricultural and forestry economic management.
How many international students does it have?
About 500 from 54 countries, mostly at the doctoral level.
When did international education start?
In 1960, and in 2003 it became the first pilot unit for developing highly educated foreign students.
What research is it known for?
Hybrid rapeseed, green rice, breeding pigs, animal vaccines, citrus, potatoes, cotton, corn and freshwater fish.
What facilities does it have?
Three national key laboratories and three national engineering research centres, among others.
What does it cost?
Tuition and scholarships differ by programme and nationality. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Biology, Food, Innovation, Research and Development
*: 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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