According to Kazakhstani media reports, annual international education fairs are attracting more students from abroad to studying in Kazakhstan, with agreements already in place to implementing double degree programs, student exchange programs and partnerships with universities across central Asia.

“We want to create an educational hub of higher education in Kazakhstan”

Provost for international affairs at Pavlodar State Pedagogical University, Alexander Svidersky, said while it is mostly international students from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia and Mongolia who study at the university, it is expected that next semester the institution will welcome Chinese and Indian students.

“The students from the central Asian countries choose the university because of the two reasons: firstly, there is high-quality education. Secondly, the local mentality is [similar] to the one of [many] applicants,” he said.

Vice president for the Center for International Programs, Zulfiya Torebekova said they wish to create high demand for Kazakhstan’s education in the Central Asian region.

“In order to attract more international students we are going to improve the quality of higher education in Kazakhstan, attract more teachers from abroad, create double degree programs, joint programs as well as develop English medium programs,” she said.

“Kazakhstan is working on to actively participate in the Central Asian region. We also want to create an educational hub of higher education in Kazakhstan… It is expected that the universities, as well as new international campuses, will become platforms for the development of partnerships between the world’s leading universities and the Central Asian states.”

Similarly, Kazakhstan’s key ally Russia is looking to double its international student numbers by 2025, according to reports.

Mark Kalinin, head of the Department for Cooperation in Education and Science said that in 2017, more than 120,000 international students applied for education in Russia, and that number is expected to grow significantly in 2018.

“The participation of Russian universities in international rankings and the availability of international professional and public accreditation of training programs play an important role,” Kalinin added.