Inaugurated in 1933 by Mr. Huang Suchu, a renowned industrialist, Wenzhou University has merged and integrated 6 schools in its development and progress. WZU is among the first batch of state-approved Chinese Language and Culture Education Base, designated by the Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) to accept Chinese Government Scholarship students, and is authorized to accept overseas Chinese students and students from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Overseas students applying to study at WZU can apply for Chinese Government Scholarship, Confucius Institute Scholarship, Zhejiang Provincial Government Scholarship, and Wenzhou University Scholarship for International Students.

Its academic programs cover 9 discipline areas including Literature, Science, Engineering, Law, Education, Economics, History, Management and Art. It offers 46 postgraduate programs and 57 undergraduate programs. The number of full-time faculty and staff is 1,719. It has about 14,000 undergraduates, 1,500 postgraduates, 500 international students, and around 13,000 part-time students annually for continuing education.

Wenzhou University actively implements the strategy of educational internationalization and is vigorously engaged in various international exchanges and cooperation. As of June 2017, WZU has established exchange and cooperation relations with over 70 universities and research institutes from about 20 countries and regions such as the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and Korea.

Presently, Wenzhou University has established an Italy Campus in collaboration with University of Siena, Italy, a China-U.S. cooperatively-run school Wenzhou-Kean University, a China-Denmark joint undergraduate program in International Sales and Marketing Management, a Chinese mainland and Taiwan cross-strait cooperation undergraduate program in Electronic Information Engineering, a Confucius Institute with Burapha University, Thailand and a China- Thailand 3+1 dual bachelor degrees program in Chinese Language and Literature with Burapha University (3 years in Thailand and the 4th year in China).

Wenzhou is a modern coastal city advantageously located near the East China Sea and halfway up China's mainland coastline. The mid-subtropical monsoon climate of Wenzhou is featured with four distinctive seasons, moderate temperatures and a pleasant weather. It is conveniently connected with other major cities in China, with only 1 hour to Shanghai, 2 hours to Beijing, Guangzhou or Hong Kong by air. Its main campuses are situated in Wenzhou's Chashan University Town which is surrounded by green mountains and picturesque water views. The university is only half an hour away from both the train station and the airport. The rapidly growing export trade and vibrant private economy bring Wenzhou University great opportunities to collaborate with institutions and enterprises both domestically and globally.

The university has always attached great importance to international students education and all the 57 undergraduate programs and 46 postgraduate programs are open to international students. Considering the limited Chinese language ability of some international applicants, WZU offers international students with English-taught programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Those special programs are great opportunities for international students to learn specialty knowledge and in the meantime to get a better understanding of China's language and cultures.

Among all of the international offerings in WZU, Chinese Language, International Business & Trade, International Law, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Software Engineering, Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship Studies (Master of Education) are the most favorite majors to international students.