Established in 1990, Lincoln University, or Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki in Māori, is one of the eight New Zealand universities. It was formed after Lincoln College, Canterbury gained independence from the University of Canterbury. Dating back to 1878, it is recognised as the oldest agricultural teaching institution in the Southern Hemisphere. The campus is situated on 50 hectares (120 acres) of land, approximately 15 km (9 mi) outside of Christchurch in Lincoln, Canterbury.

Lincoln has three main faculties. The Agribusiness and Commerce Faculty offers courses in accounting, business management, economics, farm management, finance, marketing, and property studies. The Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty provides education in agronomy, plant science, crop physiology, pasture production, animal science, systems biology, computational modeling, food and wine science, entomology, plant pathology, crop protection, ecology, conservation, wildlife management, evolution, molecular genetics, and biodiversity. Lastly, the Environment, Society, and Design Faculty covers natural resources, complex systems engineering, environmental design, resource planning, transport studies, landscape architecture, Māori and indigenous planning, recreation management, social sciences, tourism, communication, and exercise science.