WURth-while
WURth-while
WURth-while is a project for refugee students, offering the opportunity of participating in different courses at Wageningen University & Research.
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What is WURth-while?
WURth-while is an initiative launched by members of WUR in collaboration with the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk Oost Nederland). The programme offers refugees the opportunity to follow a selection of courses at Wageningen University free of charge.
Participants can take three or four courses and receive an official transcript of their results. Please note that WURth-while does not lead to a full degree. Refugees who wish to enrol in a complete BSc or MSc programme are advised to contact the UAF for further support.
Participation is only possible for people who live less than 1 hour travel time from Wageningen
Aim/mission
WURth-while aims to support refugees in continuing their personal and academic development while becoming part of Dutch society. This benefits both individual well-being and society as a whole. Research shows that exclusion reduces long-term opportunities for participation in the labour market and wider society.
By staying connected to their field of study and engaging with students and lecturers in Wageningen, participants remain actively involved in academic life. Initial evaluations show that participants value the sense of inclusion and welcome they experience at the WUR. In this way, WURth-while enables newcomers to make meaningful and constructive use of their waiting period.
If you are a refugee with an academic background or with experience studying at a university you are eligible for an intake. After application a member of our team will have an intake meeting with you. A report of the intake will be sent to the course coordinator, who decides if you can be admitted to the course.
Courses are taught in English or Dutch (see course list) and you have to show sufficient proficiency in English or Dutch during the intake. Please note that the course admission procedure takes some time, so please apply at least 6 weeks before the course starts
WUR has a focus on the domain of food and living environment.
Within this domain courses are available on BSc and MSc level in the five disciplinary fields:
• Agrotechnology and Food Sciences
• Animal Sciences
• Environmental Sciences
• Plant Sciences
• Social Sciences
See here the WUR course catalogue.
WURth-while students can participate in BSc and MSc course of Wageningen University after being admitted by the coordinators of WURth-while and the course itself.
How to select a course
- This pdf provides instructions on how to select a suitable course for you, step-by-step (In case you can't open the pdf, see the following steps to select a course)
- Go to the course catalogue, there you can find all the courses
- To filter for courses of your interest, select a chair group on the left in the course catalogue
- Also select the period for which you want to apply (for dates see calendar below)
- Choose a course that interests you, you can follow per period
| Period | Date | Registration |
|---|---|---|
1 | 01 September - 24 October 2025 | 1 June 2025 - 30 June 2025 |
2 | 27 October - 19 December 2025 | 1 June 2025 - 20 September 2025 |
3 | 05 January 2026 - 30 January 2026 | 1 June 2025 - 12 November 2025 |
4 | 09 February - 06 March 2026 | 1 June 2025 - 1 January 2026 |
5 | 09 March - 01 May 2026 | 1 June 2025 - 25 January 2026 |
6 | 11 May - 03 July 2026 | 1 June 2025 - 25 Match 2026 |
When do the courses run?
- Period
1
Date01 September - 24 October 2025
Registration1 June 2025 - 30 June 2025
- Period
2
Date27 October - 19 December 2025
Registration1 June 2025 - 20 September 2025
- Period
3
Date05 January 2026 - 30 January 2026
Registration1 June 2025 - 12 November 2025
- Period
4
Date09 February - 06 March 2026
Registration1 June 2025 - 1 January 2026
- Period
5
Date09 March - 01 May 2026
Registration1 June 2025 - 25 January 2026
- Period
6
Date11 May - 03 July 2026
Registration1 June 2025 - 25 Match 2026
Please keep the registration deadlines in mind. Applications received after the deadline cannot be considered. If the course has a maximum number of participants, the deadline is a week earlier. This is indicated in the course catalogue.
Questions
Do you have any questions about WURth-while? Please contact us!
Online courses
If you are not certain you are able to follow a course at Wageningen University for any reason, take a look that our MOOCs. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses and gives you the possibility to increase your knowledge from the comfort of your own home. If you want to follow a MOOCs, please still apply to WURth-while and indicate that you want to follow a MOOC.
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