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Van Wilder (Ryan Reynolds) is an outgoing, friendly, and extremely popular student who has been at Coolidge College for seven years. For the past six years, he has made no effort to graduate, instead spending his time organizing parties and fundraisers, doing charity work, helping other students, and posing for figure drawing classes. But after seven years, with no return on his investment, Van's father (Tim Matheson) decides it is time to cut his losses and stops paying Van's tuition.
Van Wilder has been attending college for far too many years and is scared to graduate, but Van’s father eventually realizes what is going on. When he stops paying his son's tuition fees, Van must come up with the money if he wants to stay in college, so he and his friends come up with a great fund-raising idea – throwing parties. However, when the college magazine finds out and reporter Gwen is sent to do a story on Van Wilder, things get a little complicated.
Taj Mahal Badalandabad leaves Coolidge College behind for the halls of Camford University in England, where he looks to continue his education, and teach an uptight student how to make the most out of her academic career.
It is freshman year at Coolidge College and Van Wilder is ready to party. To his dismay, all the girls have taken a vow of chastity and the dean rules the school. Van embarks on a crusade to land the campus hottie, Kaitlin, and liberate his school from sexual oppression and party dysfunction.