The College of Life and Environmental Sciences of Wenzhou University began as the Department of Biochemistry of Wenzhou Normal School back in 1958. In 1999, the name was changed to the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and again, in 2003 to the current name. The college currently has two teaching units, the Department of Biology and the Department of Environmental Sciences, and manages two independent research institutes, the Institute of Life Sciences and the Institute of Virology.

At present, the college employs 156 teaching staff, including 121 full-time teachers, of which 86.7% have a doctoral degree, 62% have a senior title (Professor or Associate Professor), and 9 doctoral supervisors.

Among the faculty members are distinguished experts recognized for their outstanding scientific or academic performance and contribution. Several faculty members have received awards and titles from various national institutions or scientific bodies of the country. In addition, there are also several academicians, both domestic and foreign, working in the college.

The college offers five undergraduate majors, with an annual enrollment of about 370 students. The five majors are Biological Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Biotechnology (including international classes), Biopharmaceuticals, and Ecology.  Biological science is recognized as a national first-class undergraduate major. Furthermore, it is regarded by Zhejiang Province as a key major, a characteristic major, and a distinguishing major, and it has passed the national secondary teacher training certification.  In Zhejiang Province, there are only two other majors that enjoy the same merit as the Biological Science major at Wenzhou University.  The college has close collaboration with overseas universities such as Kyushu University, the University of Tokyo, Saga University (all in Japan), the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada), and Kean University (USA) under various student exchange programs.

At the postgraduate study level, the college offers master's degrees in ecology and biology, biomaterials and medicinal chemistry, resources and environment, pharmacy, and teaching in biology, with an annual enrollment of about 230 students. In addition, the college also has a joint master’s (1+1) and PhD (1+3) programs with the University of Northern British Columbia, and a joint PhD (2+2) program with Chonnam University (South Korea), as well as a postgraduate exchange program with Kyushu University, University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Saga University, Shinshu University, and Kobe University.

The college places great emphasis on its teaching principle, striving to achieve a harmonious atmosphere for learning. It has established an excellent academic culture marked by scientific research and competition, and its success is demonstrated by the various awards it has received, such as the silver prize in the China Internet + Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the second prize in the National Challenge Cup Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Competition for Students, the first prize in the National Student Life Science Competition, and the first prize in the National Student Life Science Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The academic success of the college is also reflected in the proportion of undergraduates (over 45% each year) that are being admitted to graduate schools at various prestigious universities in other parts of China, such as the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The reputation of the college is backed by the discipline of ecology, which has been established as an advantageous and characteristic discipline, a first-class discipline, and a key discipline at the university level in Zhejiang Province. In addition, the college is also home to a number of research centers and bases, such as the National Joint Local Engineering Research Centre for urban water pollution and ecological management technology, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Subtropical Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, and Zhejiang Province Biomedical Collaborative Innovation Centre, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Growth Factor Drug Development and other research platforms.  The college has three laboratory buildings covering an area of 21,000 m², with instruments and equipment worth more than 100 million yuan. It has established the International Centre for Water Ecology and Environment Research with the University of Tokyo, the International Centre for Water Resources and Water Ecology Research with Kyoto University, and the Centre for Ecology and Environment Research with the University of Northern British Columbia (Canada). In addition, the college has also established the Centre for Ecological and Environmental Research (CEER)  with the University of Northern British Columbia and works closely with Riken, Kyushu University, Saga University, and Kobe University in Japan.

The College of Life and Sciences at Wenzhou University has come a long way to where it is today, and it will no doubt continue to strive for excellence and to be part of the ever-advancing world of science and become a place for breeding and disseminating new generations of talents.