What does NUFYP mean?
NUFYP (Nazarbayev University Foundation Year Program) – a one year intensive program at the Center for Preparatory Studies of Nazarbayev University. The program provides intensive personal development, study skills, mathematics, and academic language proficiency preparation to the undergraduate programs of Nazarbayev University. Education at this program is available under the state grant or other forms of funding, as well as on a fee-paying basis. Following the results of study at Foundation Year Program, students are accepted to Nazarbayev University undergraduate programs.
Can a 10th grade student apply to NUFYP?
No, he/she cannot. Only final year students and graduates of secondary/post-secondary educational organizations can take part in the competition for admission to NUFYP. In other words, to participate in the competition for admission to NUFYP, an applicant must be a student of a final grade/course or have graduated from a school or postsecondary educational organization. In order to confirm their status applicants provide a verification letter from the school (spravka) or school Diploma.
Is it possible to combine studies at high school and NUFYP at Nazarbayev University?
Combining studies is not possible. At the time of enrollment and study at NU, a student of NUFYP must be a graduate of a secondary/post-secondary educational organization. NUFYP is a full-time program.
What is the language of instruction at Nazarbayev University?
The language of instruction at Nazarbayev University is English.
Is it compulsory to enroll in the NUFYP?
Admission to the NUFYP after high school/college is optional. Applicants can enroll directly to the undergraduate program.
Is it possible to take only one course and study at NUFYP?
There is no such an opportunity. Applicants must enroll in the program to study there.
What about those who studied at NU NUFYP and voluntarily withdrew? Are there any restrictions on applying again?
NUFYP students, who voluntarily withdrew from the University, can take part in the competition only for Undergraduate programs.
Is it required to take the Unified National Test (UNT) to apply to Nazarbayev University?
When applying to Nazarbayev University, UNT scores in English are considered only for the regular admission. Minimum requirements are specified in the Regular Admission section. These requirements are not considered in the competition for financial aid and/or scholarships.
What is the average score of the Diploma for admission to Nazarbayev University?
Minimum GPA requirements are listed in the Regular Admission section. These requirements are not considered in the competition for financial aid and/or scholarships.
What are the stages of the NUFYP competition?
The selection process to NUFYP consists of the following stages:
1. Stage I – online application of the applicants (October - December);
2. Stage II – entrance exam (February - March);
3. Stage III – consideration of applicants’ files, who received required scores in stage II and corresponding English test scores (April-May);
4. Sending admission offers to applicants in accordance with the ranking, which is compiled based on received scores (May-July)*;
5. Submission of original documents for enrollment (upon request of the Admissions Department, June-July).
*Applicants from the waiting list may receive an admission offer as vacant places become available (due to other applicants’ refusals) until the start of the classes.
If an applicant has scored minimum passing scores in the entrance exams, it does not guarantee automatic admission to the NUFYP and receiving the grant. An applicant participates in the competition for the award of the state grant according to the number allocated annually by the MSHE of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Quotas for other grants are determined by the University.
Information about entry examinations can be found here.
What is the sequence of actions for the application process to NUFYP?
To participate in the competition, an applicant should complete the following:
1. Online application at the admissions.nu.edu.kz portal and creation of a Personal account;
2. Filling out the application form and submission of the required documents;
3. Paying the application fee and сompletion of the application process by clicking the “PAY AND SUBMIT APPLICATION” button.
The application fee is 10000 tenge (non-refundable). Within the last two weeks of application deadline, including the extension period for application, registration fee is increased three times - 30000 tenge.
4. IELTS/TOEFL results submission;
5. Further steps. Applicants must check the email indicated in the application form to receive important information from the Admissions Department and Personal account in order to track the application status.
What is the application fee during the application process to NUFYP?
The application fee to NUFYP is 10000 tenge* (for those who pay the application fee within the last two weeks before the application deadline and in case of its extension, the application fee increases three times). This amount is non-refundable. Application fee is paid online via the applicant’s Personal account. Application fee payment through bank transfer is not acceptable.
What should be done if when creating a Personal account on the portal, an incorrect email address was specified and now it is impossible to register again since the site says that such IIN exists?
Applicants should address such requests to undergraduate_admissions@nu.edu.kz, indicating the problem, IIN (for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan) and full name for processing the request. After the registration with incorrect data is canceled, an applicant will be replied to his/her initial request about it and should create a new Personal account with the correct data.
What should be done if an applicant cannot log in to his/her Personal account?
Applicants should address such requests to undergraduate_admissions@nu.edu.kz, indicating the problem, IIN (for citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan), full name and screenshots of an error page for solving it.
What should be done if an applicant forgot a password from his/her Personal account?
Applicants should use the “reset password” function on the admissions.nu.edu.kz portal.
What should be done if there are problems with application fee payment?
It is necessary to check if the internet transactions are available on the bank card. If the option is available but the problem is not solved, an applicant should contact the bank and email undergraduate_admissions@nu.edu.kz, indicating the problem, IIN, full name and screenshots of an error page.
Where is the application form for the NUFYP?
Go to admissions.nu.edu.kz portal, press the “Sign up” button and fill out the required information in English. Applicants need to select an undergraduate program in the list of appeared programs and then select the Foundation and Undergraduate Programs. There you can find and fill in the Application Form for the Foundation and Undergraduate Programs.
Is it necessary to fill out the application form within one day?
No, the application form can be filled in several times before the deadline for online application. In this case, every time you enter new data you should save it by clicking on the “Save” button. The application form created will be saved in a Personal account with the date and time of the last changes. Next time, returning to filling out, applicants need to select a saved form, not to create a new one. When the application form is complete, applicants must click on the “ Upload” button.
Is there a certain procedure order for filling out the application form, uploading documents, and paying the registration fee?
During creating a Personal Account, the applicant will have detailed Instructions for submitting an application. The applicant can refer to it at any time, when filling out the application form, uploading documents, and paying the application fee.
Are Linguaskill results considered in the competition?
No, Linguaskill results are not considered in the competition.
How to submit IELTS/TOEFL results?
If the score meets the minimum requirements, applicants need to within the specified time:
Comment: When registering for the IELTS/TOEFL test, an applicant can specify several universities to send electronic certificate results. By specifying the code “Nazarbayev University” for IELTS and “6762” for TOEFL, applicants can order sending to Nazarbayev University. Each certificate has a serial number, which is used by universities to verify the accuracy of the results. If an applicant has not indicated a free electronic delivery to NU before passing the IELTS/TOEFL exam, then ordering the certificate to the University is processed on a paid basis by contacting the Test center.
Important: there is no need to send a scanned copy of the certificate to the University email address or the hard copy by post.
IELTS Indicator, IELTS Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL PDT results are not considered in the competition.
All provided certificates must be valid by August 1, 2025, that is, the results of tests submitted before August 1, 2023 will not be accepted.
The deadline for IELTS/TOEFL certificate provision is available on the website.
Is there Superscoring for IELTS/TOEFL?
No, Superscoring (using the highest scores in all examination sections of two or more certificates to obtain the highest overall score) is not used for IELTS/TOEFL. But applicants can submit as many certificates as you wish before the approved deadline. Please note that the last submitted/uploaded certificate will be considered in the competition and the previous data will be deleted.
What is the period for providing an additional IELTS/TOEFL certificate?
The period for providing additional IELTS/TOEFL certificates will be available in the “Important dates” section on the website.
Is it possible to prepare and/or pass IELTS, SAT tests at NU?
Unfortunately, Nazarbayev University does not provide preparation and organization of these tests. The test can be taken at other official test centers in Kazakhstan.
What is NUET?
NUET (Nazarbayev University Entrance Test) – a standardized admission examination developed by NU’s partner which tests Mathematics and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Information about NUET is available here.
Can applicants provide SAT results and skip NUET?
SAT is not considered for admission to the NUFYP for citizens of Kazakhstan. international applicants can submit SAT/ACT rsults to be considered to the NUFYP.
Where preparation materials for NUET are available?
To find preparation materials for NUET, please visit our website. Preparation materials for NUET are also published on the Center for Preparatory Studies website.
Are there any preparatory courses for NUET at NU?
There are no preparatory courses for NUET at Nazarbayev University. Moreover, NUET preparation materials are available in the Useful resources section and on the Center for Preparatory Studies website.
When will the competition results be released?
The first results of the NUFYP competition will be available in May. Applicants located at the top of the ranking based on exam results will receive admission offers to Nazarbayev University. The number of state grants is determined by the Decree of the MSHE of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Applicants who received the required exam scores but did not receive an offer will remain in the waiting list. Upon release of grants, applicants from the waiting list will move up to vacant places in accordance with their ranking.
How many grants are there for NUFYP?
556 grants were allocated in 2024. The number of state grants is determined by the MSHE of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The number of grants funded by the NU is determined by the University based on the capacity, occupancy, load of teaching staff, taking into account the number of current students. Grants are distributed according to applicants’ ranking, which depends on the scores of entry exams - the higher score an applicant has at entry exams, the greater chances he/she has to receive the grant. The state grant is available to most applicants.
How to enroll in NUFYP on a fee-paying basis?
To apply for NUFYP on a fee-paying, you must complete apply on the admissions.nu.edu.kz portal. Minimum requirements are listed in the Regular admission section.
Should applicants pass IELTS or NUET after completion of NUFYP in order to progress to Undergraduate programs?
No, they should not. After the completion of courses indicated in the Curriculum, applicants will take final exams conducted by the Center for Preparatory Studies and apply on the admissions.nu.edu.kz portal.
What is the cost of a dormitory?
Please contact the Department of Students Services at student_housing@nu.edu.kz for detailed information.
What is a monthly stipend of NUFYP students?
The monthly stipend of NUFYP students is 40 000 tenge.
How to return the Guarantee fee after admission offer refusal?
In case of refusal of the admission offer, the guarantee fee is not refundable. The conditions for the Guarantee fee return are the fulfillment of all requirements specified in the form of payment of the guarantee fee.