Undergraduate

The list of majors is available through this link in the section “Programs”. Before starting the online application process to undergraduate programs, please familiarize yourself with the list of majors, offered by Nazarbayev University Schools since the entry requirements depend on the selected major.

To participate in the competition an applicant should complete the following:

1. Register at admissions.nu.edu.kz and create a Personal account;
2.  Pay the application fee (non-refundable). The application fee shall be paid only online in your Personal account at the “My application forms” section with a bank card authorized for online/internet transactions. The payment of the application fee by transferring money through the bank is not acceptable;
3. Complete the application form and upload all required documents before the deadline. The list of documents is available here in the section “List of documents to be submitted by applicants”;
4. It is very important to select the major and the School of Nazarbayev University as well as an applicant’s category since entry exams you will be taking depend on these factors;
5. Registration and taking necessary exams (for instance, at testing centers of your city). Sending the electronic results of the exams is required for the participation in the competition for undergraduate programs. To send electronic results of standardized tests an applicant must contact the test administrators (IELTS - British Council/Interpress, TOEFL - ETS, SAT Reasoning / Subject - College Board) and request the sending of electronic results to the address of Nazarbayev University.

The decision on considering the second choice of an applicant is taken by the Admissions Committee of the School. The priority is given to an applicant’s first choice of the School of Nazarbayev University.

Yes, it is possible, but only with the official permission of the Dean of the School, into which the applicant would like to transfer.

Applicants entering the Nazarbayev University Schools are considered by the Admissions Committee of the respective School. The Admissions Committee consists of international faculty of the Nazarbayev University.

The application fee to undergraduate programs is 5000 tenge. This amount is non-refundable. The application fee shall be paid only online in your Personal account. The payment of the application fee by transferring money through the bank is not acceptable.

Before proceeding to the payment of the application fee, please check the settings of your bank card, particularly its access to internet transactions and limits to online operations. If the problem is not solved, please contact info_admissions@nu.edu.kz with a full description of the problem you faced, referring to your IIN (for the citizens of the RK) and Applicant ID.

Nazarbayev University, as all educational establishments in Kazakhstan, abides by the law of RK and it is expected that all students will abide by the law of Kazakhstan, including the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On education” (clause 17 of Section 47).

The category of an applicant is determined by the educational institution where he/she studies or graduated, or by his/her achievements which will be considered by the Admissions Committee. 

While applying to the undergraduate programs, Nazarbayev University considers the following categories:

• Graduates or students of secondary schools, colleges, UK Foundation program and graduates of the A-level program;
• Graduates and students of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools (NIS Grade 12 Certificate);
• Graduates and students of IB Diploma program;
• Winners of international and/or republican olympiads;
• Transfer students (students of other higher educational institutions).

Entry requirements for each category are different; therefore, it is important to select the category that suits you most. 

No, it is not. An applicant can choose only one category.

Unfortunately, no. If an applicant wishes to change the category, he/she needs to do so before the application deadline.

No, the Admissions Committee considers all final grades of the NIS Grade 12 Certificate subjects. However, an applicant should meet minimum entry requirements by having at least ABB scores in any three subjects.

UNT and the average score of a high school diploma are not considered during the admission process to Nazarbayev University. During the selection process, in addition to the application form, essay and other documents provided by an applicant, the Admissions Committee will consider the results of tests/certificates/interview, indicated here in the section “Entry requirements”.

Detailed information on applicants’ categories, required exams and minimum passing scores can be found here in the section “Entry requirements”. All exams/tests are taken by applicants independently at their own expense.

No, there is no requirement to the level of these subjects. An applicant can pass any level, but must receive the minimum score in each subject.

Yes, an essay part in SAT Reasoning is mandatory, but there is no minimum score.

Superscoring – consideration of the highest section scores from two or more test certificates in order to obtain the best overall score.

Superscoring is applied in relation to SAT Reasoning / SAT Subject results, but is not applied to IELTS / TOEFL, ACT results.

Priority will be given to SAT/ACT/NIS Certificate/IB Diploma results in the selection process.

In that case, the Admissions Committee will consider other academic and non-academic credentials of the applicants.

The personal statement is a mandatory part of the application package of an applicant and it plays a very important role. It should not be more than 500 words. More detailed information about the personal statement can be found in the section “List of documents to be submitted by applicants”.

Personal statements are read by the Admissions Committee. It should include the justification of the choice of Nazarbayev University as well as the motivation of an applicant. More detailed information about the personal statement can be found in the section “List of documents to be submitted by applicants”. 

An applicant has the opportunity to apply to both programs and if recommended for admission for both programs, he/she will have a right to choose one of them. However, please note that the dates when the results of the selection process in the two programs are released may vary.

617 state grants were allocated for undergraduate programs in 2020. The number of state grants is determined by the Decree of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which is published annually around May. Grants are distributed according to applicants’ ranking.     

In case of withdrawal, a student does not need to reimburse tuition expenses.