Nazarbayev University (NU) has ranked No. 1 for the first time among universities from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)* included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027. In the latest edition of the rankings, the university is placed in the 376–400 range, ahead of a number of leading universities in the region, including the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (401–450), Bauman Moscow State Technical University (551–600), and HSE University (601–650).
A year earlier, NU ranked fourth among CIS universities. This year, the university also retained its position as the top-ranked university in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
The result comes amid growing global competition in higher education. The THE World University Rankings 2027 include 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories, 106 more than in the previous year. Kazakhstan’s representation has also expanded, with 10 universities included in this year’s rankings. One of NU’s strongest indicators remains research quality, for which the university received a score of 84.1.
Over the past five years, NU researchers have published more than 6,500 scientific papers. Some 68% of these publications appeared in first-quartile (Q1) journals, representing the top 25% of scientific publications by CiteScore. At the same time, one-third of NU publications were published in journals ranked among the top 10% by CiteScore in the international Scopus database. This indicates that a significant share of the university’s research is published in leading international scientific journals.
The impact of NU research is also reflected in its citation performance. More than 15% of the university’s research papers are among the top 10% most cited publications worldwide, while NU researchers’ work is cited, on average, 2.68 times more frequently than comparable research worldwide.
NU has also significantly improved its performance across other areas of the rankings. This reflects the university’s comprehensive development, including the enhancement of its educational environment and international accreditation of its programmes, the development of research infrastructure, the expansion of international academic and research partnerships, and engagement with industry.
Ranking No. 1 among CIS universities in the Times Higher Education rankings, together with its strong performance in the global rankings, reflects NU’s continued progress towards one of its key goals: strengthening its position as a leading research university in the region and enhancing its competitiveness at the global level.
Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) is not included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027.
