This paper focuses on student diversity as an enabling factor in renewable energy education and qualitatively examines its effects on the learning process and experience, both during the educational period as well as in career and personal growth. It draws on the experiences of students and alumni of the Postgraduate Programme Renewable Energy (PPRE) at the Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany. The programme, which has been instrumental in renewable energy education to a diverse student population since its beginnings in 1987, has recently (in 2016) won the Ars Legendi prize for its approach to diversity in learning. The paper discusses various differences in individual, academic and cultural backgrounds, to assess their contributions to the learning process and to the personal and professional development, based on the study participants' opinions.