A Branch of Marche Polytechnic University at Zhetysu University: a New Direction for the International Education and Regional Development
I. Zhansugurov Zhetysu University in the Zhetysu Region is the region’s leading center of science and education. The university’s educational programs and its scientific and innovation activities are oriented first and foremost towards the needs of the region, taking into account the agro-industrial specialization of the Zhetysu Region. At the same time, the university educates specialists and develops research in law, teacher education, information technology, economics, and tourism. The university is actively developing international cooperation. An important result of this work is opening, on the basis of Zhetysu University, of a branch of MARCHE Polytechnic University (Università Politecnica delle Marche), Italy.
An international partnership is among the strategic priorities of Zhetysu University. The university has signed memoranda of cooperation with more than 100 universities and research centers around the world. These ties are aimed at improving educational programs, pooling scientific potential, building a multicultural academic environment, and expanding the mobility of students and faculty.
In the 2025–2026 academic year, about 50 of the university’s students studied at universities of Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and neighboring countries.
Twenty scholars from universities of Switzerland, Italy, China, Türkiye, Slovakia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Pakistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan gave lectures and took part in the research work of the faculties; eight of them taught theoretical and practical classes in the dual-degree program “Agronomy / Agricultural Science and Technology.”
In 2026, under the “500 Scientists” project of the Center for International Programs, the university faculty members received grants for year-long research fellowships at Johns Hopkins University (USA), the University of Reading (United Kingdom), and the University of Queensland (Australia).
These indicators attest to the systematic integration of the university into the international academic space and to its course of combining educational and scientific activity with global experience. The opening of the branch of MARCHE Polytechnic University became an institutional continuation of this policy.
Flagship project: a branch of Marche Polytechnic University
In accordance with an instruction from the Head of the State, work on opening branches of leading foreign universities has been launched in Kazakhstan. As part of this initiative, in 2024, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, a branch of Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM) – Marche Polytechnic University (Italy) – was opened at I. Zhansugurov Zhetysu University.
When choosing the partner university, the agrarian specialization of the Zhetysu Region, its economic development priorities, and its future need for personnel were taken into account.
A comparative analysis of the educational experience, research potential, material and technical base, international ties, and ranking indicators of a number of foreign universities that prepare specialists in agriculture was done. The analysis showed that the academic profile of Università Politecnica delle Marche meets the region’s needs.
UNIVPM is a public university founded in 1969 in the city of Ancona; it offers programs in engineering, medicine, economics, and agricultural and natural sciences. The educational process is closely linked with scientific research. The Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences is among Italy’s leading centers in this field, and the agroclimatic conditions of the Marche region and its experience in horticulture, viticulture, and olive growing are consonant with the agricultural specialization of the Zhetysu Region.
UNIVPM’s orientation towards internationalization made it possible to build the partnership on the basis of equal academic cooperation. The main goal of the branch is to prepare specialists proficient in new agricultural technologies by combining international educational experience with the specific features of the region.
International reputation of Marche University
Marche Polytechnic University’s positions in international rankings attest to the recognition of its educational and research potential in the global academic community.
In the 2025–2026 Censis ranking, the university ranked second among Italy’s large public universities.
In the QS World University Rankings, it has risen to 662nd place. In the 2026 Times Higher Education ranking, it entered the 401–500 group; in the 2025 Shanghai ranking (ARWU), the 601–700 range; and in the Leiden Ranking, it took 352nd place.
Educational programs
The portfolio of educational programs of the branch of Marche Polytechnic University includes three dual-degree programs with agricultural, engineering and digital, and economic focuses. In 2024, bachelor’s program 6B08102 “Agronomy / Agricultural Science and Technology” was approved. In 2026, bachelor’s program 6B06106 “Information Systems / Computer Engineering and Automation” and the master’s program 7M04116 “Economics / International Economics and Commerce” were launched.
The bachelor’s programs are delivered in a 3+1 format, and the master’s program in a 1+1 format. Students spend the greater part of their studies at Zhetysu University, and the final stage takes place in Italy. A graduate who has fully met the requirements of the program receives two diplomas, recognized in accordance with the legislation of both countries. The curricula are coordinated between the two universities, credits are calculated under the ECTS system, and learning outcomes are approved jointly.
Core subjects are taught in English and Italian. Accordingly, Zhetysu University organizes free courses for students to study these languages. Language training helps students adapt to their period of study in Italy and feel at ease in the international academic environment.
Currently, 38 students are enrolled at the branch for the educational program “Agronomy / Agricultural Science and Technology” and 7 in “Information Systems / Computer Engineering and Automation.”
In October 2026, the first five students of the educational program “Agronomy / Agricultural Science and Technology” left to study at Marche Polytechnic University at the expense of the republican budget. They will study in the laboratories, practical training sites, and production facilities of the partner university. This first step in academic mobility with UNIVPM has laid a practical foundation for implementing the learning pathway of the dual-degree program, as well as for planning subsequent intake and mobility volumes.
Students of the branch on their studies
Malika Arynova: “I have been studying agronomy at the branch since my second year. Attending lectures by professors of an Italian university and getting acquainted with European educational experience while in Kazakhstan is a great stroke of luck. We are now studying Italian intensively. In my fourth year, I will study at Marche Polytechnic University and gain new professional experience.”
Balym Seksenbay: “Studying at the branch has allowed me to receive international-level education in my own country. Professors from Italy introduce modern methods and technologies in agronomy to us. Learning Italian has also become an important part of our studies. During my time in Italy, I want to deepen my knowledge and gain experience in a new academic environment.”
Merey Polat: “The professors of Marche University explain theory by linking it to practical experience. Such classes help us master modern approaches in agronomy more deeply. After graduating, I am planning to apply the experience I have gained to the development of agriculture in Kazakhstan.”
Admission and support for foreign nationals
Foreign nationals may enter the branch through a competition for a state grant or on a fee-paying basis. Applicants for a state grant take part in the competition through the Study in Kazakhstan platform of the Center for International Programs. Applicants entering on a fee-paying basis are also assessed against the general admission requirements and language proficiency level.
The university provides international students with organizational support in processing documents, preparing an invitation, and obtaining a visa.
Admitted students are housed in the dormitory and can use the campus infrastructure.
Joint research and projects
I. Zhansugurov Zhetysu University is carrying out systematic work aimed at strengthening the scientific and educational potential of the Zhetysu Region, training a new generation of specialists, putting research results into public practice, continuously expanding its research infrastructure, and developing mechanisms for adapting the results of science to the needs of society and the economy.
The university hosts the resource centers “Axiological Research and Media Technologies,” “Research on Special Education Issues,” “Research on Laws, Ecosystems, and Sustainable Development,” “Interdisciplinary Social Research,” and “Pedagogical Support of Inclusive Education in a Preschool Organization,” as well as the “Plant Micropropagation” laboratory.
The Zhetysu Scientific and Educational Center includes a scientific-educational laboratory of natural sciences and technologies (STEM lab), as well as the laboratories of molecular biology and of standardization, metrology, and certification, which are part of the EcoAnalysisLab complex.
The Research Institute of Biotechnology and Ecology occupies an important place in the university’s structure; it brings together four laboratories in the following areas: ecology, molecular genetics and genomics, biotechnology, and plant micropropagation.
During the branch’s formative period, Zhetysu University and Marche Polytechnic University are defining priority areas for joint research and developing organizational mechanisms for pooling their scientific potential.
The main thematic areas include agricultural science, innovative technologies in agriculture, digitalization, environmental protection, and the socio-economic development of the region.
In the future, the faculty and researchers of the two universities will develop joint research projects and take part in national and international grant competitions. Applied research will be aimed at solving the region’s production, environmental, and socio-economic problems.
The cooperation envisages involving students in research work, developing research internships and academic exchanges, and preparing joint publications and research projects. These areas serve as the basis for linking the branch’s educational activity with scientific research and for forming strong professional ties between the research communities of the two universities.
The branch of Marche Polytechnic University is taking shape as one of the key institutional projects in the internationalization strategy of Zhetysu University.
Its content brings together, in a single system, dual-degree programs adapted to the region’s workforce needs, the participation of foreign professors, language training for students, and academic mobility.
Going forward, the university will give priority attention to the quality of delivery of the branch’s educational portfolio, the development of joint research projects, the expansion of student and faculty mobility, and the strengthening of international research ties. This work serves to train the personnel the Zhetysu Region needs, to build up scientific potential, and to strengthen the university’s position in the global academic space.
Yermek BORIBAYEV,
Chairman of the Management Board – Rector,
I. Zhansugurov Zhetysu University
АННОТАЦИЯ
I. Zhansugurov Zhetysu University is the leading center of science and education in the Zhetysu Region, working first and foremost to meet the region's needs and its agro-industrial specialization. The university also trains specialists and conducts research in law, pedagogy, IT, economics, and tourism. One of the main results of its active international work is the opening of a branch of Italy's Marche Polytechnic University (Università Politecnica delle Marche).
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