Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Main Campus, Almaty Kazakhstan

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# 163QS World University Rankings

434Undergrad. & Postgrad. Programmes

28 % International students

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About Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Al-Farabi KazNU is the leader of the National Rankings among the universities of Kazakhstan. The university was the first laureate of the Presidential Award of the Republic of Kazakhstan “For Achievements in the Area of Quality” and laureate of the Award of...
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Al-Farabi KazNU was ranked 150 in the QS World University Rankings 2023, making it Kazakhstan’s highest ranked university. Al-Farabi KazNU is ranked 44th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2023. The university is a member of the following international organizations: the International Association of Universities, European Society for Engineering Education, the international Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience and International Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence, and the Indo-US Collaboration for Engineering Education.

It was first among Central Asian universities to join the UN “Academic Impact” (UNAI) program and to become the Global HUB of UNAI on sustainability, aimed at supporting 10 internationally recognized principles of the UN. By the decision of United Nations Academic Impact program Al-Farabi KazNU continue to lead the Global Hub of the UN Academic Impact Program on Sustainable Development.

In collaboration with the UN Information Office in Kazakhstan, Al-Farabi KazNU has joined the Global Model UN movement and established its flagship students-led program "The UN Model - the New Silk Road".

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University was awarded the prestigious international award «Global Islamic Finance Awards 2020» (GIFA) in recognition of its achievements and contribution to the development of education in Islamic finance. The leading Kazakhstani University became the best in the category of «Best Emerging Islamic Finance Education Provider». The award ceremony was held in Islamabad (Pakistan).

The University is a member of the following international organizations: the International Association of Universities, European Society for Engineering Education, the international Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience and International Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence, and the Indo-US Collaboration for Engineering Education.

The University has established “Al-Farabi” centers in different countries all over the world, e.g. in Shahid Beheshti University (Iran), Tsukuba University (Japan), Beijing University of Foreign Studies and Shanghai University of Foreign Studies (PRC), Istanbul University (Turkey), Jordan University (Jordan), University of Rostock (Germany), University of Karachi (Pakistan), Cairo University (Egypt), Belgorod State University (Russia) and Museum houses of Al-Farabi in Turkey and India.

Al-Farabi KazNU collaborates with international accreditation agencies such as ASIIN, ACQUIN, AQA and FIBAA. Once every three years, educational programs undergo an international accreditation. A number of educational programs of the university were awarded the European Quality Mark “Euro Label”.

Nowadays, Al-Farabi KazNU has 17 schools, which offer 134 BA, 268 MA and 140 PhD educational programs in engineering, natural sciences, humanitarian and social sciences, medical sciences and economics. KazNU enrolls the largest cohort of students in Kazakhstan on its campus in downtown Almaty City, overlooking the gorgeous mountains of Alatau.

Educational programmes:

Undergraduate – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/bachelor/

Master’s – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/magistracy

Doctoral – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/doctorate/

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About Al-Farabi Kazakh National University

Educational programmes:

Undergraduate – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/bachelor/

Master’s – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/magistracy

Doctoral – https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/education_programs/doctorate/

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Available programmes

Al Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) offers 134 bachelor degree programs at 16 faculties, which are among the leaders in the national subject ranking in Kazakhstan. Students can join undergraduate programs in a wide range of disciplines, from the sciences (chemistry, geography, mathematics and physics) through to humanities, law, IR, languages, and journalism. Students can also select from several joint double degree programs with the leading universities from around the world. The university bachelor degree programs train students to be critical thinkers, well-rounded lifelong learners and future leaders in their specialties. Most of the undergraduate programs of KazNU are accredited by accrediting agencies such as ASIIN, FIBAA, AQ, and ACQUIN.

Undergraduate international students usually study for four years at the individual faculties. Undergraduate study at KazNU includes lectures, seminars and laboratory work carried out in university faculties and departments. KazNU has no quotas for international admissions and around 10 percent of applicants are international students and the number increases every year.

The international admission period runs during the summer for the current academic year. International applicants register at the dedicated website, and prospective students must pass foreign language test in advance. The application process is broadly the same for international and national students, and the university accepts school qualifications from many different countries.

Tuition fees are currently set by the university at a very competitive level. The tuition fees do not include accommodation or board.

All students find themselves in an innovative educational environment and they have access to the specialized libraries and computer facilities including access to
KazNU’s super-computer as well as to the university technopark, business incubator and startup seed capital provided by the university, businesses and other entities in the country. Every year university students can study in the world’s leading universities within the framework of “Academic mobility” program or join international summer schools.

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Arts and Humanities (27)

Bachelor of Arts in Translation (Oriental Languages)

Bachelor of Humanities in Islamic Studies

Bachelor of Humanities in Philosophy

Bachelor of Humanities in Religious Studies

Bachelor of Linguistics in Foreign Philology (Oriental Languages)

Bachelor's Degree in Applied Kazakh Linguistics

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Business and Management (10)

Bachelor of Arts in Marketing

Bachelor of Arts in State and Local Government

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting and Audit

Bachelor's Degree in Digital Economics

Bachelor's Degree in Economics

Bachelor's Degree in Finance

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Engineering and Technology (17)

Bachelor's Degree in Biomedicine

Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Computational Sciences and Statistics

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Bachelor's Degree in Cryptology

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Life Sciences and Medicine (16)

Bachelor's Degree in Academic Nursing with Mentorship Skills

Bachelor's Degree in Aquaculture and Aquatic biological Resources

Bachelor's Degree in Biological Engineering

Bachelor's Degree in Biology (6B01502)

Bachelor's Degree in Biology (6B05102)

Bachelor's Degree in Biotechnology

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Natural Sciences (31)

BA in Actuarial mathematics

Bachelor of ARts in Chemical Technology of Inorganic Substances

Bachelor of Natural Science in Natural and Technological Risks

Bachelor of Natural Science in Nuclear Physics (Dubna)

Bachelor of Science in Physics

Bachelor's Degree in Actuarial Mathematics

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+1 More Subject

Al-Farabi KazNU offers 268 full master degrees and 140 full PhD wide range programs which help you facilitate your career progression. The University is the main Higher Education University in preparing masters’ and PhD students. During master degree programs...
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Arts and Humanities (29)

Master of Pedagogical Sciences in Kazakh Language and Literature

Master's Degree in Applied Kazakh linguistics

Master's Degree in Archeology

Master's Degree in Creative industries

Master's Degree in Design

Master's Degree in Digital Kazakh Language

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Business and Management (23)

Master's Degree in Accounting and Audit

Master's Degree in Business analytics and Big Data

Master's Degree in Business Сommunication

Master's Degree in Digital Economics

Master's Degree in Digital business - Technologies

Master's Degree in Economics

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Engineering and Technology (20)

Master's Degree in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering

Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering

Master's Degree in Computational Linguistics

Master's Degree in Computational Sciences and Statistics

Master's Degree in Computer Engineering

Master's Degree in Computer Science: Algorithm and Structure of Data and Databases

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Life Sciences and Medicine (26)

Master's Degree in Agrobiotechnology

Master's Degree in Aquaculture and Aquatic Biological Resources

Master's Degree in Biology (7M01504)

Master's Degree in Biology (7M05101)

Master's Degree in Biomedicine (7M05102)

Master's Degree in Biomedicine (7M10112)

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Natural Sciences (49)

Master of Natural Sciences in Meteorology

Master's Degree in Actuarial Mathematics

Master's Degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics

Master's Degree in Cadastre

Master's Degree in Chemical Physics (7M05318)

Master's Degree in Chemical Physics (7M05320)

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+1 More Subject

Executive MBA (2)

EMBA in Business

EMBA in Healthcare

Arts and Humanities (17)

PhD in Archeology

PhD in Archeology of Eurasia

PhD in Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages

PhD in Foreign Philology (Western Languages)

PhD in History (7M02210)

PhD in Innovation in Historical Demography (Gylym Ordasy)

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Business and Management (12)

Doctor of Business Administration

PhD in Accounting and Audit

PhD in Economics

PhD in Finance

PhD in Innovation Management

PhD in Knowledge-based Economy and Innovation Policy 4.0 Trends (Gylym Ordasy)

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Engineering and Technology (20)

PhD in Automation and Internet of Things

PhD in Biomedicine

PhD in Chemical Engineering

PhD in Computational Sciences and Statistics

PhD in Computer Engineering

PhD in Computer Science (8D01502)

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Life Sciences and Medicine (15)

PhD in Biology (8D01504)

PhD in Biology (8D05101)

PhD in Biotechnology

PhD in Environmental Bioengineering

PhD in Fisheries and Industrial Fishing

PhD in Genetics

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Natural Sciences (28)

PhD in Cadastre

PhD in Cartography

PhD in Chemical Technology of Inorganic Substances

PhD in Chemical Technology of Organic Substances

PhD in Chemistry

PhD in Ecology

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Social Sciences and Management (18)

PhD in Archival Studies, Documentation and Documentation Provision

PhD in Classical Oriental Studies (Gylym Ordasy)

PhD in Ethnology and Anthropology

PhD in Foreign Philology (Oriental Languages)

PhD in International Journalism

PhD in International Law

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University information

1) Campus admission open days/tours?

Our Call Center representatives are available for phone calls at + 7 (727) 377-33-33 from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Our campus 3D tour is available on http://3dtour.kaznu.kz/ . Applicants are welcome to see faculty and departments’ profiles and pages. According to the request some additional virtual tours could be organized and conducted...
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1) Campus admission open days/tours?

2) How to contact the university

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University has simplified admission of foreign applicants for BA, MA and PhD doctoral programs. Applications are submitted all year-round and admission is carried out 2 times a year, 5 days before beginning of the semester according to the academic calendar. The whole process of receiving documents is automated and carried out in a specially-developed application –

https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/welcome/foreign;

Applicants are welcome for registration at https://univer.kaznu.kz/abiturient_user/register/11 and get access to the online application form in the “Online Registration” on the section of the Personal Account.

3) Cancelled exams

The University supports all of the applicants whose exams were canceled. Entrance exams are conducting in on-line mode via Skype (Zoom and other platforms are also available) and could be easily scheduled and rescheduled according to the request. The system is flexible and supportive for applicants.

Currents semester exams and the whole educational process has been transformed into distance mode and implemented through the several information and educational systems:

4) English-language test

University is flexible to applicants who unable pass English-language test or exams and organize online interview via Skype. As the University conducts two entrance exams- language and profile (subject) exam, conducting interview in English or other languages on the subject could be enough for admission.

In case when the proper English language certificates are obliged, applicants are given postponement till the moment it will be possible. So they may provide English language certificates later.

5) Visa applications

All of the applicants are provided by the visas. In case when visas are delayed, University contacts Embassies and Consulates with the request for supporting applicants. In some cases visas are prolonged. These cases are very random and usually it is not an issue for applicants.

6) Restrictions

Applications are accepting all year-round and no restrictions entered. International applicant follows the usual rules and at the moment they are free to submit documents online. https://welcome.kaznu.kz/en/welcome/foreign;

7) Accommodation

Applicants after enrolling in the University are offered two main options regarding their accommodation – campus dorms and private hostels (which have agreement with University on providing accommodation to al-Farabi students). Campus dorms and out campus hostels have all of the necessary facilities to provide students good conditions for educational process.

8) Any changes to entry requirements

University has no changes to entry requirements and the list of the documents is available at the University https://www.kaznu.kz/en

In case of problems with registration, please write to the email address: international@kaznu.kz

Education is provided in three languages: Kazakh, Russian and English. If the applicant does not know one of the languages, then automatically is enrolled in the preparatory faculty

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General

IELTS

TOEFL

87+

International Baccalaureate

33+

GPA

Al-Farabi KazNU covers a wide spectrum of fundamental and applied research which are conducted at 8 research institutes, 29 centers, 2 National Level Labs and in Regional Technopark.

At the present time Al-Farabi KazNU is an intellectual corporation with a scientific and innovative infrastructure, meeting to advanced world analogues and consisting of 16 faculties, 8 research institutes, including the Center of Physico-Chemical Methods of Research and Analysis, the Science and Technology Park, and the National Nanotechnology Open Laboratory, more than 20 institutes and research centers of socio-humanitarian profile, the Business Incubator, the Commercialization Office and small innovative enterprises.

Having a well-developed scientific and innovative infrastructure, KazNU has achieved significant success in implementing the principle “from idea to commercialization of product”, requiring new development models from universities.

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/3/news/one/27946/

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/3/news/one/35380/

The university successfully operates the Cluster of engineering and high technologies, which includes the Science and Technology Park, the Center for Process Innovations and the Center for “Green Technologies”. One of the current areas of the cluster is an activity of the laboratory for creation of artificial satellites and design and launch of small satellites, the result of which was the launch of the Kazakh nanosatellites “Al-Farabi-1” and “Al-Farabi-2” into space, which were created on the basis of the university.

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/18571/page/

Together with the Scientific Research Institute of Aerospace Information of the Academy of Sciences of the People's Republic of China, the Center for Remote Sensing of the Earth with a virtual receiving station was created on the basis of KazNU for the first time in Kazakhstan, in order to carry out aerial and satellite surveys, spectrometry and hyperspectral imaging, etc.

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/3/news/one/27603/

The digital campus of KazNU is: an information and communication platform, with a developed transport communication highway for data transmission; a single entry point into a single information and educational environment for access to key information resources and services of a scientific and educational nature; integrated security system at the level of IT resources and IT infrastructure. The IT infrastructure of KazNU is a system of integrated and interconnected functioning of the University’s automated information technologies: data processing center (DPC); computer network topology "star with an intellectual center" (256 subnets); 100% coverage by wifi network; Information security system; server infrastructure clustering based on virtualization and cloud technologies; modernization of computing resources of computer classes based on modern cloud technologies; modernization of the computer equipment park, and technical and technological equipment of the classroom fund; corporate centralized system of corridor printing in the online / offline mode; situational monitoring center: intelligent video surveillance system and access control system; online video conferencing, distance learning systems, Global-classroom; University IP-TV and online broadcasting information content.

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/3319/page

https://www.kaznu.kz/en/14932/page

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Total students

19,545

UG students

76%

PG students

24%

International students

5,538

UG students

69%

PG students

31%

Total faculty staff

4,077

Domestic staff

72%

Int'l staff

28%

Student life

Today KazNU educates young people - the patriots of their country, who will determine the future of Kazakhstan tomorrow. The principle of social partnership is actively implemented in KazNU and it defines the selfregulating nature of the relationship among the team members. On the basis of this principle, the students, along with the faculty and university administration act as...
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The university considers successful employment of graduates as the main indicator of the efficiency of its educational activities. In order to ensure competitiveness and demand for KazNU graduates, the university encourages long-term multilateral cooperation with employers for maintaining the relevance of educational programs’ content to demands of the labor market; attracts practical trainers...
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Tuition fee and scholarships

Domestic Students

Tuition Fee/year

2,630 USD

Tuition Fee (Out of State)

International Students

Tuition Fee/year

2,630 USD

Other Expenses

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

In this guide you will find:

Where to look for scholarship opportunities

How to apply to scholarships relevant to you

A list of available scholarships around the world

A scholarship application checklist

Download Scholarship Guide

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is one of the top public universities in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is ranked #163 in QS World University Rankings 2025.

Chart
Data

2012
#390
2014
#=299
2015
#=305
2016
#=275
2017
#236
2018
#=236
2019
#220
2020
#207
2021
#165
2022
#175
2023
#150
2024
#=230
2025
#163

Ranking criteria

Overall

Academic Reputation

54.2

Citations per Faculty

1.4

Employment Outcomes

59.6

Employer Reputation

79.6

Faculty Student Ratio

99.3

International Faculty Ratio

International Research Network

64.7

International Student Ratio

54.2

Sustainability

29.8

View all rankings data

QS Stars is a rating system that helps you select the right university based on your interests. It provides a detailed look at an institution, identifying which universities rate highest in the specific topics that matter to you, like facilities, graduate employability, social responsibility, inclusiveness, and more.