Last updated 2025
The goal of NU is to become a research university of international standing. The University is guided by the principles of autonomy and academic freedom. Admission and progression are entirely merit-based. All professors are research- active and they integrate research and teaching. Students have the opportunity to apply to join research projects even as freshmen.
Research-integrated teaching (RIT) is a distinctive feature of NU, and includes these four components:
All professors at NU are “research active”, meaning that they are continuously publishing the outcomes of their research projects in high impact journals, books, or book chapters. At NU, there is a focus on creating global research which also has local impact.
As a research-intensive university, professors are up to date with emerging ideas in their disciplines, and they ensure that relevant, up-to-date research is integrated into each program.
When students actively participate in research projects, they become deeply engaged in their learning, they can explore concepts in detail, and they are challenged to extend their critical thinking skills.
Skills developed in research projects are transferable to future professional roles. In research projects, students learn to collaborate to solve complex problems, to test their assumptions, to use evidence to make assertions. Research skills help students to connect theory to practice and to develop creative and systematic approaches to problem solving. These skills are highly regarded by employers, both in industry and in government.
When students undertake capstones and research projects, they have to learn to prioritize which research questions to answer. Within these projects, students gain hands-on learning and discover that they can contribute to the creation of new knowledge. This helps them gain knowledge and skills beyond the classroom, builds confidence and enhances their overall academic performance. Research projects might be engaged as stand-alone elements in their programs or embedded in senior elective project-based courses.
In order to successfully integrate research and the educational process, NU has established a research infrastructure that includes a state-of the-art Library, with over 100 subscriptions including journals and e-books and government databases.
For STEM researchers, there are 272 laboratories, covering 22,258 square meters. Laboratories incorporate diverse disciplines such as Medicine, Cell Physiology, Animal Physiology, Biophysics, Biochemistry, Biosensors, Bioinstruments, Bionics, Microbiology, Histology and Immunohistochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Chemical Analysis, Polymer Chemistry, Hydromechanics, Electron Microscopy, Optical Materials, Laser Optics, Mass Spectrometry, Nuclear Magnetic Imaging, Battery Assembly, Solar Energy Research, High Energy Physics, Mathematics, Microchips, Robotics, Computer Science, Industrial Automation, Mining, Geosciences, Metrology, Water Treatment, Soil Mechanics, Climate Research and many others.
This NU infrastructure is continually improving and expanding in response to student needs and advances in technology. As a result, NU's educational programs are constantly evolving to keep pace with current advances in the field.
Approximately 25% of research publications from NU include at least one student author. We anticipate that proportion to grow in the coming years as more students see the benefits of publishing in scholarly journals with their professors.
NU scholars are encouraged to publish in the top quartile (Q1) of the recognized list of scholarly journals in their field. In some cases, these peer-reviewed Q1 journals are also open access, which means they are available to the general public without a fee. Open access journal costs are not paid through subscriptions or site licenses, but through publishing fees, which are paid by the authors’ institutions. An increasing number of journal articles, conference proceedings and other scholarly publications authored by NU professors and students are available through open access. The NU Institutional Repository, accessed via the NU Library website, includes graduate student theses and some capstone and research projects.
Publishing research in top journals and scholarly outlets increases the reputation of Kazakhstan as a knowledge economy, as well as enhances the careers of authors, including student authors, increasing the reputation of NU. Published research papers also provide a tangible advantage for students who are interested in applying to local and international graduate programs.
Publishing research in top journals and scholarly outlets increases the reputation of Kazakhstan as a knowledge economy, as well as enhances the careers of authors, including student authors, increasing the reputation of NU. Published research papers also provide a tangible advantage for students who are interested in applying to local and international graduate programs.
Research-integrated teaching is a long-term investment in developing confident graduates, who are ready to contribute to increasing Kazakhstan’s knowledge economy and reputation on the world stage.
The adoption of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Status of "NU," "Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools," and "Nazarbayev Foundation" (hereinafter - the Law) is the implementation of the principle of "regulation from a new page."
There were numerous complexities in the regulatory framework at the time; this Law was needed to create a modern research university.
From 2009 to 2010 (before the adoption of the Law), the University worked within the framework of general regulation. At the same time, the project team for the University's creation repeatedly drew the government's attention to the inefficiency of the regulatory system in place. It is no secret that other educational organizations also believed that the educational system was overregulated.
The Law provides the University with academic and institutional autonomy. In turn, the independence allows the University to implement modern educational standards, a transparent system of student selection based on academic merit and a merit-based hiring policy, and an appropriate governance structure.
At the same time, the University came up with initiatives to give a status similar to its own to other major universities in Kazakhstan. This initiative was reflected in the Plan of the Nation - 100 Concrete Steps: "Step 78. A step-by-step expansion of higher education institutions' academic and managerial independence, taking into account the experience of NU. The transformation of private universities into non-profit organizations under international practice."
As part of this item, the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No.171-IV of July 4, 2018, "On amendments and additions to some legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the expansion of academic and managerial independence of higher education institutions," was adopted. As a result, all higher education institutions in Kazakhstan significantly expanded their academic and managerial independence.
In this regard, the Law and University's experience began the revival of the principles of academic freedom, academic and research integrity as well as merit-based admission for students, faculty and staff, in higher educational institutions in Kazakhstan. At the same time, we believe that the potential of the Law is not exhausted. Several other major universities could receive the same status.
NU strives to achieve internationally recognised academic and research excellence. NU successfully underwent an external institutional evaluation under the Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) of the European University Association in 2017 and 2019.
The process included the review of NU’s academic quality, research and strategic management practices. External experts commended NU on the rapid and impressive progress it has made over a few years since its establishment. As part of this process, external experts evaluated NU’s compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG). NU’s engagement in the IEP process manifests its intention to continuously enhance the quality of teaching and learning, and assure that its academic provision is compliant with quality standards of the European Higher Education Area.
In addition to institutional evaluation, NU intends to engage in institutional accreditation. Institutional accreditation grants external recognition that institutions comply with the guidelines, values and standards set by accrediting agencies. This extensive process involves the evaluation of the quality of educational and research processes, campus facilities and infrastructure, student support services, faculty development and other areas. In accordance with its Strategy 2018-2030, NU will seek institutional accreditation with a highly reputable, ‘gold standard’ international body when it is fully competitive internationally, and meets all the required standards.
NU prioritizes program accreditation through external bodies of the highest repute. The NU Graduate School of Public Policy’s Master's programs are accredited by the European Association for Public Administration Accreditation (EAPAA). In February 2020, the NU Foundation English Programme gained accreditation from the British Association of Lecturers in English for Academic Purposes (BALEAP). All other NU study programs, including business, engineering, science, medicine and education, are working towards accreditation within the next two-to-three years. The University will be updating the wider community on completion of key milestones in this process.
More information about accreditationThe global university rankings provide an additional opportunity for external evaluation of an institution’s performance. Unlike accreditation, the rankings provide information on an institution’s performance relative to other institutions, using a variety of measures and indicators such as teaching quality, research quality and impact, international outlook, knowledge transfer and external income.
NU has been ranked in the top 24-30 percent of international research universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025. The results rank 2000 universities from 115 countries. NU participated in this highly recognized in 2023 international evaluation for the first time. Achieving a place among the top one-third of the world’s leading research universities in just 13 years is a significant milestone and an outstanding achievement by international standards.
NU secured a position in the range of 501-600, thereby demonstrating the best performance among universities in Kazakhstan and the region of Central Asia and Caucasus. In 2025, Kazakhstan is represented by a total of four universities, with NU being at the top of the list.
At this stage of its development, NU decided to enter THE WUR for several compelling reasons, which align with the university’s strategy, values and mission:
THE’s new methodology ranks universities on 17 performance indicators based on:
In the period of formation from 2011 to 2017, the NU's total number of publications was 1630. The launch of new grant programs to support scientific activities in 2017 directly influenced the growth of scientific articles. On February 13, 2023, the number of publications increased to 6,870, which is about 1/6 of all Kazakhstani institutions' papers published between 2011 and 2022 (42,549)."
Likewise, according to Scopus, the number of NU publications in prestigious Q1 journals has increased from 615 to 2,896 over the last five years, which is more than 1/3 of all scientific papers published in Q1 by Kazakhstani researchers since 2011 (8,110). Because payment of the publication fee in Q1 journals follows the independent scientific peer review (on average, 1 in 10 articles pass the review), promoting publications in such journals for a fee is impossible.
The Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) for the last five years was 1.34, which means that publications generated by NU scientists are cited 34% more than expected by the global average of 1 (1). The high citation rate indicates a growing quality of faculty, 30% of which are comprised of Kazakh professors and researchers. Thus, the university meets the objective of becoming a research university, outlined in the University Strategy 2018-2030.
(1) For comparison, the total FWCI for Kazakhstan for the same period is 0.95, i.e., Kazakh scientific papers are cited 5% less than the world average.
(2) In the first years of the opening of the university, the number of local faculty was less than 10%.
In 2010, NU admitted the first students to the Foundation programme and spent a year preparing for the undergraduate programme. Therefore, in 2015, the University produced its first stream of graduates.
In 2015 - 522 graduates,
In 2016 - 635 graduates,
In 2017 - 720 graduates,
In 2018 - 844 graduates,
In 2019 - 980 graduates,
In 2020 - 1068 graduates,
In 2021 - 1126 graduates.
In 2022 - 1,389 graduates.
In 2023 - 1450 graduates.
In 2024 - 1507 graduates.
Since its first graduation in 2015, NU has produced 10,339 highly qualified specialists. Of these, 6,521 earned undergraduate degrees and 3,818 graduate degrees. Today, 1,921 graduates are pursuing further education at the world’s leading universities, with 39% enrolled in prestigious institutions in the US, the UK, Germany, South Korea, and other countries.
Meanwhile, 6,941 graduates are building successful careers, with 91.5% working in Kazakhstan and contributing to the country’s progress. Most state grant recipients fulfill Kazakhstan's mandatory three-year work requirement, ensuring a steady flow of skilled professionals into key economic sectors and public service. NU graduates are highly sought after both nationally and internationally, securing key positions in diverse industries.
With a 98% employment rate, NU alumni thrive in leading global companies, research institutes, and government agencies. 18% of graduates chose the academic field, continuing their studies at top institutions such as the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Stanford University, MIT, Harvard University, ETH Zurich, National University of Singapore, and others. Those who pursued professional careers have joined major multinational corporations, including tech giants Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook, Big 4 companies, as well as top financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, and J.P. Morgan.
Along with its main educational activity at undergraduate and, graduate levels, NU has been working towards local capacity building through the implementation of the postdoctoral program, which was launched in 2017 to prepare faculty and researchers not only for NU.
In the first year, there were four postdoctoral scholars, and in subsequent years, the number of scholars was 18 in 2018, in 2019 – 32, in 2020 – 31, in 2021 – 30, and in 2022 – 18. Since the launch of the program, 53 scholars have participated in the program, 81% of whom are Kazakhstani citizens. Out of a total number of postdoctoral scholars, 21 (15 of which are Kazakhstanis) were promoted to the position of assistant professor at NU. Several postdoctoral scholars have been appointed to leadership positions at national and regional universities.
Another important indicator in building local capacity is the gradual increase in the number of Kazakhstani citizens among NU faculty. In 2015, Kazakhstanis made up 19.7% of the total faculty body, while at the beginning of 2023, they comprised 30.1% (155 people).
NU acquires finances for its activities from various sources, including the national budget and endowment funds.
Materials relating to financing NU activities from the national budget are in the public domain.
In 2024, the volume of financing of the university from the republican budget is 50 per cent, the remaining amount is financed from the endowment fund and sponsorship, as well as from the provision of educational and other services.
The recruitment process of faculty members at NU is open and transparent.
Multi-stage system of competitive selection is carried out through an electronic system and includes:
1) Posting a vacancy on internationally recognized websites (timeshighereducation.com, academickeys.com, higheredjobs.com, etc);
2) Review of applicants' documents for compliance with qualification requirements;
3) Assessment of candidates’ academic and research achievements;
4) Interview with the candidates.
During the selection process, NU conducts criminal checks, checks recommendations, as well as reviews information in the public domain.
In order to examine the personal and professional qualities of the candidates, they might be invited to the University to give lectures or to conduct a seminar. In such cases, student’s feedback on teaching quality is also taken into account.
The competition itself is conducted in stages by several commissions independent of each other, which ensures an objective evaluation in the hiring process.
Considering that when hiring faculty, NU competes with leading universities, the remuneration system of faculty members is based on an analysis of the remuneration conditions of international universities with similar disciplines and comparable teaching and research workloads.
Among others, the NU uses the data of the association for HR professionals in higher education - the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). The association includes nearly 2000 higher education organizations around the world. As a result, it was possible to invite highly qualified faculty from 64 countries of the world (as of 01/01/2023). The factor of concentration of such faculty at NU is essential for the development of Kazakhstan as a whole.
It is important to note that the salary ranges of faculty salaries for Kazakhstani citizens and foreigners are the same. The difference in compensation between foreign workers and citizens of Kazakhstan is only in additional expenses in the social package. This is due to the need for foreigners to transport their families and luggage to Kazakhstan, as well as to educate children in schools with a foreign language, pay for flights to their home country, etc.
It is important to note that prior to the launch of NU, by 2010 there had been a gradual reduction in the number of Bolashak scholars to study on bachelor's program - if in 2005 bachelors accounted for 69% of the scholarship holders, then in 2010 they accounted for 34%.
NU became a logical continuation of the Bolashak scholarship when in 2011 undergraduate degree program funding under Bolashak was terminated. NU was tasked to provide education of the quality comparable to that offered by foreign universities, but at a lower cost.
When studying at undergraduate level under the “Bolashak” scholarship, the expenses for accommodation, meals, textbooks, medical insurance, flights, visa costs, as well as tuition fee were covered. Tuition costs were paid in accordance with the official cost published on the official website of an educational institution. For example, the cost of undergraduate programs in the United States, depending on the university and field of study, varies from 25 to 55 thousand US dollars per year. The monthly stipend, depending on the US state, ranges from $1500 to $2000.
For comparison, the cost of a grant for undergraduate programs at NU under the state order was 6,084 thousand tenge in the 2022-2023 academic year and monthly stipend for undergraduate programs at NU is equal to stipends at other Kazakh universities.
In the meantime, over the entire period of its existence, 11,955 professionals have been trained within the framework of the “Bolashak” stipend, of which 43% are in the STEM direction. NU has already trained 7284 professionals (the first graduation in 2015), around 59% of which are in the STEMM direction. Of the current students 61% study on STEM programs. Given the gradual increase in the number of students graduating from NU annually (in 2019 - 980, in 2020 - 1068, in 2021 - 1126, in 2022 - 1389), by 2030 the total number of NU graduates can be more than 16,000.