Kazakhstan eyes increasing number of international students to 100,000
The aim is set to be attained through the expansion of overseas university branches, Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek announced in an interview with Jibek Joly radio, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Currently, more than 35,000 international students are studying in branches of local universities in Kazakhstan, and plans are in place to expand the figure to 100,000. Sayasat Nurbek believes the growth in the number of foreign students is directly linked to the opening of branches of leading international universities, as well as increasing the attractiveness of Kazakhstan’s education system.
This initiative began on the direct instruction of the President of Kazakhstan. We were given a major task: to study at least five leading foreign universities and open their branches in Kazakhstan. However, we decided not to limit ourselves to just five universities, but to set a goal of opening branches in every region, based at state universities, said Nurbek.
The minister added that, in parallel, the transformation of domestic universities is also being addressed.
The second goal is the transformation of local universities according to international standards. Before opening a branch, 5-10 years of research and adaptation work is carried out. For example, Heriot-Watt University has been cooperating with Zhubanov University for four years, and in five years it will be completely transformed, the minister added.
Nurbek also said retaining talented youth within the country remains crucial.
As an example, he cited the branch of Cardiff University in Astana, where 317 students are already studying, with an average IELTS score exceeding 7.5. This helps preserve human capital within the country.
Speaking about grants, Sayasat Nurbek said that their number remains stable.
Over the past five years, we have doubled the number of grants. Last year, more than 90,000 grants were allocated. This level remains stable, he said.
In 2026, about 72,000 grants are allocated for bachelor’s programs, with priority given to engineering and technical fields, pedagogy, and IT. As the minister noted, the reasons are clear: teaching staff are still in demand, while IT and artificial intelligence are strategic technologies of the future.
Earlier, Sayasat Nurbek said 27 universities had been chosen to roll out the AI-Sana program.
