Foreign student count in Kazakhstan hits all-time high
In an ambitious move to bolster its academic standing and attract global talent, Kazakhstan has set a goal to increase its international student population to 100,000 by 2028. This strategy, a combination of government-backed scholarships, institutional reforms, and active international recruitment efforts, is designed to position Kazakhstan as an attractive destination for higher education.
A significant part of this strategy involves a joint project between the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) and Nazarbayev University (NU), which aims to develop scientific potential and postgraduate programs in NU and attract international faculty. This project is a crucial step in Kazakhstan's mission to enhance its higher education offerings and global reputation.
Last year, Kazakhstan saw a historical high of 31,500 international students, a number that is expected to grow significantly. Notably, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Russian students, with over 3,000 currently enrolled, compared to 1,263 in 2021. This trend is believed to be influenced by Eurasian geopolitics, as Russia and Ukraine, traditionally academic magnets of the region, are no longer major players due to political changes.
However, this year, residents of Asia, particularly India and China, surpassed those from the CIS countries in the number of students coming to Kazakhstan. The state is, therefore, focusing on the Eurasian region, where youth under 25 years old constitute more than half of a two-billion population.
To attract foreign students and meet the demand for higher education in Kazakhstan, the state is expanding international cooperation. This includes the addition of Coventry and De Montfort universities from the UK, Cardiff University, Wusong University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) from South Korea, bringing the total number of foreign university branches in Kazakhstan to 5.
The state offers reciprocal incentives to these universities, such as free land for building full-fledged campuses in Kazakhstan and tax exemptions. The main objective of this program is to attract talent and establish Kazakhstan's international academic reputation.
To facilitate this growth, the "For the People of Kazakhstan" Public Foundation is allocating grants to attract international students. For instance, 500 grants will be offered for study at South Kazakhstan University in the 2025–2026 academic year.
Additionally, the strategy entails setting up operational systems and infrastructure for effective recruitment, admissions, and student support. This includes promoting Kazakh universities internationally, streamlining visa and admission processes, and providing student support services that ease cultural and academic transition.
In summary, Kazakhstan is implementing its increase in international student enrollment through targeted grants, improved university offerings, and adopting internationally recognized recruitment and enrollment practices. By 2028, the country aims to position itself as an attractive destination for higher education, meeting its goal of 100,000 international students.
In this endeavor, Kazakhstan has extended its collaborations to Coventry and De Montfort universities from the UK, Cardiff University, Wusong University, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) from South Korea to boost its higher education landscape. The nation also offers reciprocal incentives, such as free land and tax exemptions, to these institutes to encourage them to establish campuses in Kazakhstan, thereby fostering a new era of education-and-self-development and politics in the region. Concurrently, the "For the People of Kazakhstan" Public Foundation is providing general-news worthy grants to attract foreign students and facilitate their transition, in line with the nation's goal of attracting 100,000 international students by 2028.
