Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR), is the first higher education institute in Iran specializing in agricultural sciences and natural resources. GUASNR was inaugurated by Agricultural Minister as the Junior College of Forestry and Range Management in 1957. Through a course of continued development, the Junior College was promoted to the school of Natural Resources offering three major courses in Forestry, Range Management and Soil Conservation in 1975. After Islamic revolution, the School of Natural Resources was joined to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in 1981 and became part of the Mazandaran University.

In 1986, the school was united with Junior College of Agriculture in the town of Gonbad and obtained an approval from the Council of Academic Development of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, to upgrade to an independent institute called Gorgan University Complex of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. As a result of the hard work of the academic members and administrative staff, Council of Academic Development passed an approval based on which the complex was promoted to the Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (GUASNR) on June 25th, 1992.

GUASNR offers essential teaching and research opportunities to the academics and students both on and off campus. It is a place where learning becomes an exciting and lifelong challenge. GUASNR is trying to achieve the set goals and qualities through providing a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs in many fields leading to BSc, MSc and PhD degrees. Although the main goal pursued by the university is to train experts in Agriculture and Natural Resources, GUASNR also provides specialized knowledge and skills through seminars, independent researches and studies.

Today the GUASNR consists of 145 full-time academic members and a number of part-time and adjunct professors and affiliated members. The University also employs 370 personnel who work at the different offices, faculties and institutes. The University has about 3500 students that 36% are graduate students. The University has 9 faculties with a total of 27 departments at 2 different campuses. GUASNR, as the first and main teaching and research university in agricultural sciences and natural resources area in Iran, offers 23 undergraduate and 80 post graduate programs. Totally, over 100 laboratories are active in the faculties and institutes. In addition, GUASNR publishes 11 national and 2 international scientific journals that one of them (International Journal of Plant Production) has the ISI index.

The university is located in Gorgan, the capital city of Golestan Province, one of the most important agriculture and forestry areas throughout the country. The Golestan Province is situated in the northeast of Iran, close to Miankaleh Bay in the Caspian Sea. The Province covers approximately 20461 km2, 1.33% of the total land area of Iran. Turkmenistan in the north is the neighboring country of the Province with around 205 kilometers of common borders.  The Province is home to nearly 1.7 million inhabitants from various ethnic backgrounds. The area supports agricultural activities, the most famous of which being wheat, barley, soybean, canola and other oilseeds cultivation. Mountainous southern boundaries of the province are covered by lush temperate forests, which attract many domestic and foreign tourists and play important role in the livelihood of the people. The best Iranian Caviar is obtained from sturgeon fish caught in locations close to the Miankaleh Bay and Gorgan Gulf. Vast plains in the north of the province provide a fertile land for agricultural and dairy production. The area is also renowned for its biodiversity such that it already has four Ramsar Convention wetlands, one national park, and one wildlife sanctuary and a protected area.