Students are changing routes: Has a window of opportunity opened for Kazakhstan
Tengrinews.kz — While Canada is sharply reducing its intake of international students, the UK has restricted family visas and shortened post-graduation stays, and US universities are already reporting a drop in new international enrollment, Kazakhstan is moving in the opposite direction. The number of foreign students in the country is growing, with a target to reach 100,000 by 2029.
Tengrinews.kz examined data from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and international statistics to determine whether a new window of opportunity has truly opened for Kazakhstan in the global education market—and whether the country is prepared for it.
Kazakhstan aims to nearly triple its international student population
In the 2025/2026 academic year, Kazakhstan's universities hosted 35,075 international students from 88 countries. Their numbers grew by 11 percent over the year. The goal for 2029 is significantly higher—100,000 people, according to ministry data.
Illustration by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education
More recent materials provided to Tengrinews.kz by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education already cite a figure of 37,051 international students.
Interestingly, the geography of those coming to study in Kazakhstan is shifting.
According to the ministry, as early as 2024, the number of students from Asian countries exceeded those from the CIS for the first time—17,818 compared to 12,816. On this new map, students from India remain the largest single group, totaling 9,959 people.
This suggests that we are no longer just seeing traditional educational migration within the post-Soviet space. Kazakhstan is increasingly entering the much larger Asian market.
This shift is occurring at a time when several traditional hubs of international education have begun to move in the opposite direction.
Illustration by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education
The West tightens its rules
The US and the UK remain the world's largest educational hubs, and their universities are still interested in international recruitment. However, the conditions are changing noticeably.
The most drastic reversal occurred in Canada. Since 2024, a cap on study permit applications has been in place. Authorities explain these measures as a need to align migration flows with the capacities of cities, the housing market, and social infrastructure. In 2025, Canada accepted approximately 61 percent fewer new international students than a year earlier, according to local government data.
In the UK, as of January 2024, most international students can no longer bring family members with them. This option is now largely restricted to those in research-based programs and doctoral studies, as stated in the student visa regulations.
The period a graduate can remain in the country after their studies is also being reduced. For bachelor's and master's graduates applying for a Graduate visa starting January 1, 2027, the period will be 18 months instead of the current two years. The three-year period for doctoral graduates remains unchanged, per the immigration rules.
Meanwhile, in the US, according to the Institute of International Education, the number of international students enrolling in American colleges and universities for the first time dropped in the fall of 2025. The study covered 828 higher education institutions.
It is worth noting that global demand for international education is not disappearing, but some countries that have captured massive international flows for decades are starting to regulate them more strictly.
Kazakhstan imports not just students, but universities
One of Kazakhstan's primary strategies is not simply to invite foreigners to local universities, but to bring programs and branches of foreign universities into the country.
According to the Ministry of Science, dozens of projects with foreign universities are already underway. A map provided by the department shows that 33 projects are currently operational, with another seven scheduled to open in 2026.
Partners include universities from the US, UK, South Korea, China, France, Italy, Germany, and other countries.
In Almaty, a project is planned with the French engineering school Grenoble INP – Phelma, aiming to launch programs in nuclear and renewable energy.
In Zhezkazgan, a project is being prepared with the Colorado School of Mines—one of the world's leading specialized universities in mining. Programs are planned in geology, petroleum engineering, and mining.
A separate major project involves South Korea's KAIST. Ministry materials list fields ranging from electrical engineering and ICT to biotechnology and artificial intelligence.
The year 2026 is also slated for the launch of projects with the UK's University of Exeter and University of Glasgow, as well as Hungary's University of Debrecen.
The core of the model: students are offered an international-standard education without having to travel thousands of miles to the US, UK, or South Korea.
For a foreign applicant from a neighboring region, the logic may be different: moving to Almaty or Astana instead of London or Toronto, while still studying under a curriculum from a renowned global university.
Is there actual demand?
One indicator of demand is the state program of educational grants for international students.
For the 550 grants for the 2026/2027 academic year, 16,098 applications were received from 71 countries. The final list includes citizens of 49 states, reported the Ministry of Science.
The Ministry itself notes that a significant portion of the applicants were Kandas—ethnic Kazakhs who do not hold Kazakhstan citizenship. Therefore, the 16,000 applications cannot be entirely classified as new external demand for Kazakhstani education.
At the same time, the geography is expanding. For the first time, grant recipients included citizens of the US, Italy, Germany, the Maldives, and South Korea. The highest application activity was seen from citizens of Palestine, Indonesia, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.
In parallel, Kazakhstan is beginning to more actively market its education sector abroad.
Ministry records show that "Study in Kazakhstan" presentations have already been held in London, Baku, Islamabad, and Urumqi. Future events are planned for India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, and other countries.
A digital platform of the same name is set to launch in 2026, promising to provide foreign applicants with centralized information on Kazakhstani universities, programs, and admission requirements.
Where will tens of thousands of additional students live?
To move from the current 35,075 international students to the stated goal of 100,000, Kazakhstan needs to increase its student body by nearly 65,000 people. Opening foreign branch campuses alone will not be enough to achieve this.
Classrooms, campuses, and—most importantly for those arriving from other countries and cities—dormitory beds are required.
According to the Ministry of Science, the shortage of dormitory spaces has decreased from 82,500 in 2019 to 6,840 in 2025. The department claims the shortage has been virtually eliminated in all regions except Astana and Almaty.
Illustration by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education
Major projects are being built concurrently.
In Astana, a new campus called ENU-grad is planned. A 58-hectare site has been allocated for it, and the complex itself is designed for 12,000 students. The total floor area of the facilities is expected to be 350,000 square meters.
An even larger project, KazNU-grad, is located in Almaty. Ministry materials cite 72 hectares of land and an expected student body of 50,000 students. The area of the constructed facilities is estimated at 370,000 square meters.
Illustration by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education
A separate focus is being placed on dormitories.
For ENU, the Ministry has presented a project for 2,656 beds, which it calls the largest student dormitory in Kazakhstan. Its cost is estimated at 14.8 billion tenge, with a floor area of 51,400 square meters.
Furthermore, some infrastructure is already directly linked to international university projects. In Petropavl, a 1,200-bed dormitory is being provided for students of the University of Arizona program.
In Almaty, the IOC Academic City project is expected to provide an additional 4,280 student beds and 342 apartments for faculty.
Infrastructure preparations for the expansion of higher education are indeed underway. However, it is currently difficult to say how many of the new campuses and dormitories will be commissioned by the time the international student count is expected to approach 100,000.
Why Asia will likely be the main battleground
The current composition of international students shows that Kazakhstan’s primary market is not Europe or North America.
It is, first and foremost, Asia.
In this arena, Kazakhstan is competing less with the US and UK and more with other rapidly growing educational hubs—Turkey, the UAE, Malaysia, South Korea, and several others.
Kazakhstan's own direction of international cooperation is also telling.
On a dedicated map of relations with China, the Ministry of Science lists 193 partner universities and 416 cooperation agreements. Joint programs are operating in the country in engineering, artificial intelligence, the oil and gas sector, transport, materials science, and other fields.
Projects in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, electronics, and rare earth metals are being developed in partnership with South Korea.
Kazakhstan reportedly aims to become a hub where Western and Asian university brands converge with the vast student market of Central and South Asia.