Kazakhstan for the first time ever joins global leaders in higher education
For the first time, five Kazakhstani universities have entered the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, Kazinform News Agency cites the Kazakh Enlightenment Ministry.
Nazarbayev University ranked in the 401–500 range, the highest placement ever for a Kazakhstani higher educational establishment in international rankings.
The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University retains its position in the 1201–1500 range. Besides, Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satbayev University and Kazakh Agrarian Research University were also included in the list.
As of now, Kazakhstan is the most represented country in Central Asia and the Caucasus. In total, 17 universities from five regional countries were included, that is six times more compared to 2020, when only three were listed.
The World University Rankings evaluate universities across 18 indicators, grouped into five categories:
Teaching: quality and reputation of education
Research Environment: funding, productivity, and research reputation
Research Quality: citations, strength, and impact
International Outlook: share of international students, staff, and publications
Industry: partnerships and patent activity
The rankings explored 19 million publications, 1.5 million expert survey responses and institutional statistics from over 3,000 universities worldwide.