Wenzhou-Kean University, a Sino-US cooperative university with independent corporate capacity, is a remarkable achievement of collaboration between Zhejiang Province and New Jersey.

On November 16, 2011, the Ministry of Education approved Wenzhou University and Kean University to prepare for the establishment of Wenzhou-Kean University.

On March 31, 2014, the Ministry of Education approved the formal establishment of Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU). The WKU implements the principal responsibility system under the leadership of the board of directors. The board of directors jointly formed by the Chinese and the American representatives is the highest decision-making body of WKU.

On May 8, 2006, Xi Jinping, the then Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province, attended the signing ceremony of co-founding Wenzhou-Kean University at Kean University in the United States and delivered an important speech. The Ministry of Education also listed the establishment of WKU as one of the major projects of Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools to expand the opening-up of education.

In July 2014, WKU was included in the achievements of the fifth round of China-US high-level humanities exchange and consultation.

On September 23, 2015, President Xi Jinping praised at the 3rd China-US Governors Forum that WKU was functioning well.

In November 2013, WKU successfully passed the assessment of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

In March 2018, WKU passed the assessment as the bachelor's degree awarding institute.

In June 2018, the first ministerial and provincial meeting co-held by Ministry of Education and Zhejiang Province made it clear that “Wenzhou-Kean University will be included in the key construction sites of Sino-foreign cooperation in running schools”.

In September 2019, The TOEFL test center in WKU was inaugurated, marking that Wenzhou became the third city in Zhejiang Province to hold TOEFL test.

In January 2020, WKU was approved to establish a GRE test center, which is the only GRE test center in Southern Zhejiang.

100% of the professional courses in WKU are introduced from Kean University supported by American and international original textbooks, and 100% of full-time academic staff are recruited globally. While students attend small research-conscious classes in English language, the University also adds Chinese educational elements. The goal of WKU is to train students into application-oriented talents with a global perspective, familiar with international rules and affairs, and the ability to innovate, create, and make contribution. "Start here, go anywhere". Wenzhou-Kean University would be a starting point to prepare students for entering the international arena.

There are four colleges, namely, the School of Business and Public Administration, the School of Architecture and Design, the School of Humanities and the School of Science and Technology, providing 18 undergraduate programs in six disciplines including economics, science, engineering, literature, management, and art. Business is the featured discipline, and the Bloomberg Financial Laboratory has been established and operates well.

In November 2019, WKU obtained the qualification of granting master's and doctoral degrees. Graduates can obtain corresponding degrees from Kean University. Specific programs include Computer Information Systems (Master of Science), International English Teaching (Master of Arts), International Business Administration (Master of Business Administration), Biotechnology Science (Master of Science), Psychology (Master of Arts), Education Management (Master of Arts) , Architecture (Master of Architecture), International Accounting (Master of Science), as well as Educational Leadership (Doctor of Education), Educational Psychology Counseling and Supervision (Doctor of Philosophy), Education and Clinical Psychology (Doctor of Psychology).

WKU began to enroll doctoral students in three specializations: Educational Leadership (Doctor of Education), Biotechnology Science (Master of Science), and International English Teaching (Master of Arts) in 2020, and will continue to build other postgraduate and doctoral programs. WKU has about 340 Chinese and foreign faculty and staff, including about 140 foreign full-time teachers, most of whom have international teaching backgrounds and doctoral degrees. The excellent teaching staff provide strong support for the WKU's development.

In 2020, WKU began to admit 1,000 students who achieved first-class grades in University Entrance Examination from 19 provinces and cities across the country. There are about 2,800 students in the campus, including international students, and students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. WKU plans to accommodate 7,000 full-time students in 2025, and about 8,500 in future years to come. Upon graduation, students would be granted a degree certificate from Kean University, a degree certificate from Wenzhou-Kean University, and a graduation certificate from Wenzhou-Kean University. WKU has five batches of graduates with the total amount of about 1,600, and about 60% of them enter world-renowned institutions of higher learning to continue their studies. Among the 2020 graduates, 63% of them pursued the postgraduate study, 46% of which were admitted to the top 50 QS-ranked universities in the world. Student representatives frequently attended APEC conferences, world youth leadership training camps and other international cutting-edge platforms. They have won numerous awards in high-level academic activities at home and abroad, and published papers in international journals.

WKU is located in Li'ao Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou City, the famous hometown of overseas Chinese with beautiful scenery. The planned campus area is 3,000 mu, including 1,056 mu for the first phase of construction, and a building area of 250,000 square meters. The campus embodies the design concept of "Chinese-style layout and Western-style architecture", and strives to blend Chinese and American cultures to create an ecological, intelligent, and open environment. At present, the area of 176,000 square meters has completed construction and been put into use, and the rest is under construction in phases.