Abai University: оn the Path to Global Leadership
Nearly a hundred years ago, in 1928, Kazakhstan’s first university was founded, which is known today as Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University (Abai University). Established as a national center for training pedagogical staff, the university played a key role in the development of the country's higher education system. On the eve of its centennial anniversary, Abai University is undergoing perhaps one of the most dynamic stages of its history, proudly demonstrating its achievements on the international academic stage. According to the results of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University ranked 41st in the world in Education & Training, entering the TOP 50 best universities globally in this subject area.
However, this transformation is not just about one university. It reflects broader processes taking place today both within our country and in the global system of higher education. A conversation with Bolat TLEP, Chairman of the Board – Rector of Abai KazNPU, addressed issues relevant to the entire higher education sector of Kazakhstan.
– Bolat Anapiiayevich, modern universities no longer compete only at the national level, but also on a global scale, and they are doing so successfully – the university you lead is a clear testament to this. What strategy has enabled Abai University to improve its position so significantly in comparison with universities around the world?
– Today, a university's success is defined by its ability to integrate into international research networks, attract talented teachers and students, generate knowledge, and offer solutions to global challenges. Therefore, internationalization is no longer a separate area of development; it has become an integral part of the 21st-century university model. In this regard, the results of Abai University are deservedly in the spotlight.
Indeed, one of our major achievements in recent years is the strengthening of the university's positions on the global academic stage. Having entered the TOP 50 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 in Education & Training, Abai University became the only university in Kazakhstan ranked among the leaders, achieving the best result among universities in Central Asia. Moreover, this is the highest result among the higher education institutions of the region in the entire history of their participation in QS subject rankings.
The university demonstrated a particularly high result in Academic Reputation, ranking the 9th place in the world. This reflects a high level of trust from the international academic community in the quality of education, scientific research, and professional expertise at Abai University.
Equally significant is our performance in the Employer Reputation indicator, where in which we ranked 43rd in the world. It reflects the strong demand for the university's graduates and high quality of their professional training, which meets the modern requirements of the education system and labor market.
The global competitiveness of the university is also confirmed by its overall ranking. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, Abai University ranked 634th in the world and 4th among Kazakhstan’s universities. In the QS Asia University Rankings, the university ranks 138th place, maintaining its position among the leading universities in Central Asia.
One of the most important factors contributing to the university’s success in the QS Stars international audit was the strengthening of the university's Global Engagement. In the Global Engagement category, Abai KazNPU received the the highest possible rating of five stars.
One of the key areas in which the university was awarded the maximum score during the QS Stars international audit was the Teaching category, which reflects the quality of the teaching and learning. The university also received the highest possible rating in the Employability, Facilities, Good Governance, and Social Impact categories.
In the National Ranking of Leading Pedagogical Universities, Abai KazNPU ranks first.
The achieved results reflect the high quality of graduate training, the effectiveness of the governance system, modern university infrastructure, and the significant contribution of Abai KazNPU to addressing social challenges and the sustainable development of society. They are the outcome of a consistent transformation of the university: improving the quality of education and research, developing international partnerships, expanding academic mobility, and adopting the world's best practices.
Abai University is firmly strengthening its position as one of the leading centers of pedagogical education and science in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, helping to shape the educational standards of a new generation.
However, rankings are merely the visible part of the ongoing changes. The real transformation is happening within the university.
– In your opinion, to what extent does the international recognition of a university depend on the number of its partners? And where is the line drawn between the formal signing of agreements and real productivity?
– Yes, you are right; just a few years ago, the internationalization of many universities in the region was evaluated primarily by the number of signed memorandums. Today, the main indicator has become the depth of partnership and the co-creation of knowledge.
To date, we collaborate with 171 universities from 30 countries around the world. Among our partners are leading global higher education institutions: the University of California, Los Angeles, the Education University of Hong Kong, Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Tsukuba, and many others. 30 universities are our strategic partners with whom we implement various forms of international cooperation. We consider this as a sign of high recognition of our university in the global educational space.
Together with universities ranked in the TOP 500 of the QS World University Rankings, five international research projects are being implemented with partners from Italy, France, China, and Spain in the fields of digital humanities, human rights, green technologies, sustainable development, and the application of artificial intelligence in education.
Our academic mobility partners include universities of France – the University of Lorraine, the University of Poitiers, the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, and the University of Lille; China – Zhejiang International Studies University; Poland – Adam Mickiewicz University and the University of Słupsk; Turkey – Marmara University; as well as institutions of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and other countries.
Abai University has established itself as a strategic center for the global rethinking of the mission of education. For 25 years now, the UNESCO Chair has been operating at the university as an international platform where ideas are contributed, research is conducted, and best pedagogical practices are shaped. Over the years of its activity, the Chair has transformed into a space for scientific inquiry and practical transformations, bringing together educators, researchers, students, and education leaders from around the world. Here, a new paradigm of pedagogical innovation, inclusion, and sustainable development is being formed, inspiring educators, researchers, and education leaders across the globe.
In October 2025, a historic event took place at Abai University: the World Congress on Inclusive Education was held at the university for the first time, bringing together more than 3,500 participants from over 40 countries.
The event brought together Ministers of Education from CIS countries, more than 70 international experts, and representatives from UNESCO, UNICEF, and Google for Education under one roof. Five specialized tracks addressed a wide range of the 21st-century challenges: from mental health and neurodiversity to the responsible use of digital technologies. The collection of materials from the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Pedagogical Innovations as an Important Condition for the Sustainability of Educational System Development," held at this congress, included more than 150 scientific articles in which leading researchers from the OECD, our country, Canada, Hong Kong, and India reflect on the future of inclusion, technologies, and the quality of education.
One of the important moments of global cooperation for the Chair was collaborative work with a visiting scholar, international OECD expert in the field of education, Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Psychology Clea Fernandez, who shared her experience with faculty, researchers, and students throughout a full semester.
The Center for Pedagogical Innovations and Action Research under the Chair can be called a living laboratory of educational transformation. Here, research practices emerge that change the content of students' thesis work, help integrate the Lesson Study and Action Research into the educational process, and shape a research culture based on evidence-based pedagogy.
The Chair’s activities cover a wide range of areas. It initiated the International Youth Hackathon "The Future of Education Through the Eyes of Youth," where the younger generation can offer their fresh ideas and proposals. The UNESCO Bulletin (Abai KazNPU) is published systematically, highlighting innovations and making knowledge accessible to the entire pedagogical community. Annual international symposia bring together researchers from around the world to discuss issues that define the future of education. Regular professional development courses for the university's departments and school teachers help spread innovative practices beyond the campus, creating a wave of change in Kazakhstan's education system.
It is also very important that the Chair's activities cover seven priority UN SDGs, integrating the principles of sustainable development into every educational initiative, policy, and the ethos of daily work.
– According to the results of the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking, Almaty ranked 78th place among the best student cities in the world. What contributed to this achievement, and what does it mean for Almaty's universities?
– Yes, according to the results of the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking, Almaty achieved its best result since it first entered the ranking. The positive trend in Abai University’s international appeal is also unfolding against the backdrop of Almaty’s growing status as one of the leading educational hubs in Central Asia.
It is worth noting that one of the key criteria for a city’s inclusion in the ranking is the presence of universities included in the QS World University Rankings, highlighting the close connection between the development of the urban educational environment and the international standing of leading universities.
Today, almost one in ten students at Abai University is an international student. The number of international students has reached 3,100, accounting for 14.9% of the total student population – nearly triple the figure of two years ago. Students from China, Mongolia, France, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Spain, Georgia, and other countries study at the Faculties of History and Law, Mathematics and Computer Science, Philology, and Physical Education and Sports.
For Abai University, this opens up new prospects for further growth in its international student population, the expansion of academic cooperation, and the strengthening of the university’s role as one of the leading centers of teacher education in the Eurasian region.
One of the important aspects of the university's internationalization is a student academic mobility. In the past academic year, 280 people went to foreign partner universities under external academic mobility programs, 230 of whom were funded by the university: we invest more than 75 million tenge annually in this program.
At the same time, more than 50 foreign students from France, the USA, China, Turkey, Russia, Belarus, and Uzbekistan studied under academic mobility programs at Abai University. Among them, 5 students from Middlebury College (USA) completed a semester of study with us. In the upcoming academic year, we plan to host 25 students from Middlebury College and Colorado College.
In addition, the university actively expands international partnerships within the framework of the Erasmus+ and DAAD programs. 33 students completed a semester of study under these programs at leading European universities, such as the University of Poitiers (France), Tallinn University (Estonia), the University of Turin (Italy), the University of Calabria (Italy), the University of Lorraine (France), the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France), Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany).
553 master's students and 153 doctoral students completed foreign scientific internships at partner universities of Europe, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and China.
Under the international Erasmus+ CBHE program, we actively participate in KazDual projects on implementing a dual education system, and in 2026 Abai University became the recipient of the UNIFUND project for the effective development of endowment funds in universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Another important area of internationalization is attracting international scholars to teaching, research, and other academic activities. We are sincerely grateful to our Ministry of Science and Higher Education for supporting and implementing the program to attract international scholars to Kazakhstan's universities. Thanks to this initiative, the university was able to engage 10 leading international professors from universities ranked among the QS and THE top 500 in teaching and research activities, and overall, in just one year, more than 50 foreign specialists conducted lectures, masterclasses, scientific seminars, and consultations at the university.
A particularly significant result was the implementation of a large-scale international academic program at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology with the participation of leading scholars from the USA, France, India, Hong Kong, and Turkey. The research work was focused on the topic of institutional support for children with special educational needs. The foreign professors conducted more than 70 events: scientific and methodological seminars, consulting events, practical training sessions, workshops, conferences, and individual scientific consultations for the departments, master's students, and doctoral students of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology.
An Applied Behavior Analysis Laboratory was also created at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology – a specialized educational and scientific platform aimed at developing the staff training system, scientific research, and the implementation of evidence-based practices for supporting children with special educational needs, which will be headed by an international expert from Canada, Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism, certified behavior analyst, and behavior modification consultant Zukhra Izmailova-Kamar.
Inviting foreign professors had an immense effect on the process of creating an international scientific network.
– Let’s talk about another flagship project of internationalization – the Kazakh-French partnership at Abai University. An opportunity to study in France without leaving Almaty must work wonders for the appeal of both the city itself and the university. Could you tell us how this powerful French cluster was formed and what prospective opportunities it opens up for the students today?
– The history of this cooperation began with the establishment of the Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute (SKI) in 2014. Today, at the core of this sustainable platform of the Kazakh-French educational cooperation are two complementary projects – the Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute and a branch of the University of Lorraine (Université de Lorraine). Together, they form a space unique to Kazakhstan in which the French academic tradition, international educational standards, and the national workforce training system combine into a single educational environment. The Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute was opened as a structural subdivision of Abai KazNPU in line with intergovernmental agreements between Kazakhstan and the French Republic. From the very beginning, the Institute was formed as a tool for the development of a long-term academic, scientific, and cultural interaction between the two countries.
Within the framework of SKI, the French language is cultivated, and teacher training in French is provided. The instruction of study is provided in French and English across 8 undergraduate, 9 master’s, and 2 doctoral degree programs.
Dual-degree educational programs are being implemented. For undergraduate studies, these include international law with the University of Lorraine and economics with the University of Poitiers; for master's studies, they include marketing, and foreign languages: two foreign languages with the University of Poitiers.
The curricula of the dual-degree programs are aligned with those of the French partner universities, are based on full or partial instruction in French, and involve faculty members from leading French universities.
Currently, we have more than 600 students here, taught by 53 faculty members, while guest lectures and expert meetings involving representatives from Kazakhstan and France are also held.
Over the years of its operation, the Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute has become a stable platform for inter-university cooperation, scientific exchange, and cultural dialogue. Today, its activities go far beyond the scope of a single educational division.
The Digital Educational Center for the Space of France in Law participates in the development of educational programs and the organization of professional development courses with French experts for schools and universities.
The Center for Didactics of French and European Languages acts as a Central Asian methodological hub for French language teaching and summer school organization. A memorandum was signed with the Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on training teachers in the fundamentals of human rights for secondary schools and non-legal specialties.
The SKI Diplomatic Club conducts significant international and practice-oriented events involving foreign guests, such as the visit of Ms. Claire Bazy-Malaurie, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, or a meeting under the international program "Legal Dialogue," held jointly with the Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and supported by the Embassy of France in Kazakhstan with the participation of Ms. Isabelle Rome, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic for Human Rights.
The Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute shapes an international educational environment that serves as the foundation for the further expansion of the presence of French universities in Kazakhstan. A logical continuation of the Kazakh-French partnership was the opening of a branch of the University of Lorraine (Université de Lorraine) at Abai KazNPU in 2024.
The University of Lorraine is a major research university in the French Republic with strong positions in international and subject rankings. The establishment of its branch in Almaty is of fundamental importance: the French university’s presence in Kazakhstan is moving to a new level – from individual joint programs to the creation of a permanent academic infrastructure.
Today, the branch implements educational programs in seven areas: law; teacher training of a foreign language; international relations and diplomacy; management and administration; finance, economics, banking, and insurance; marketing and advertising; and restaurant and hotel management. 500 students study in French across double-degree programs and joint educational programs with French partner universities – the University of Poitiers, the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, and the University of Lorraine.
In 2026, the educational programs "French Language Teacher Training" and "International Law" (dual-degree) received international specialized accreditation from the Independent Kazakhstan Center of Accreditation, confirming compliance with international quality standards and recognition of the performance results.
The region needs experts who understand global processes, speak foreign languages, and are capable of interacting with international institutions. Therefore, our graduates form a talent reserve for the diplomatic service, international business, financial sector, public administration, education, science, and other fields. For Almaty, this is of particular importance. The city is the largest business, financial, cultural, and educational center of Kazakhstan, so the presence of a multilingual international educational environment directly contributes to the development of its human capital.
The development of the Kazakh-French educational ecosystem at Abai KazNPU makes it possible to leverage these advantages and create a regional center for international education across the city.
Today, the branch of the University of Lorraine and the Sorbonne-Kazakhstan Institute are building partnerships with state, international, and business structures. Among our partners and involved organizations are state and law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and others; international organizations and structures – the UN, the Council of Europe, the ECHR, AUF; the Alliance Française; the France-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including a Career Center on the Chamber's office platform; the French Institute for Central Asian Studies; Campus France Kazakhstan; French companies in Kazakhstan such as Danone, La Tartine, Total, and others; as well as Gymnasiums No. 25 and No. 35.
Study in France without leaving Almaty. Gain international experience while remaining in Kazakhstan. Build a global career starting from your own university. This is how the very philosophy of international education is gradually changing – and Almaty is becoming one of the places where this new approach is already becoming a reality.
– Strengthening the status of teachers at the state level and demographic growth in Kazakhstan have posed serious challenges to the education system: there is a need not only for more teachers, but also for specialists of a completely new level. How is Abai University responding to this demand?
– The consistent initiatives of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to raise the authority of teachers in society, as well as the implementation of the "Comfortable School" national project, which is significantly expanding the country's educational infrastructure, have become a powerful stimulus for the development of pedagogical education. The total student contingent of our university, growing year after year, currently exceeds 20,000 students. Particularly significant is the growth in the number of master's students (1,617 people) and PhD students (558 people), which has resulted from the expansion of the research and innovation segments of educational programs.
Educational activities at Abai University are conducted in Kazakh, Russian, French, and English across 166 educational programs.
It should be noted that in recent years, Abai KazNPU has strengthened its status as a center of academic excellence. The updating of educational program content is realized in partnership with more than 150 educational organizations and entities from various sectors. Across all undergraduate educational programs, 16 minor programs are being implemented, aimed at building additional competencies and developing soft skills. We also have 29 innovative educational programs developed within the framework of the World Bank project "Enhancing Pedagogical Capacity in the Republic of Kazakhstan" and 6 Double Major educational programs designed to train teachers for small-class rural schools.
The share of accredited educational programs at Abai University in 2026 reached nearly 100 percent thanks to the systematic efforts to ensure their quality and align their content with external evaluation requirements and international standards.
At the same time, the international academic dimension is expanding: more than 25% of our departments teach in English; 12 educational programs are offered in English and 10 in French. Furthermore,
15 double-degree and 9 joint educational programs are being implemented with universities of Europe, France, and the CIS.
We have also launched a new educational program aimed at developing women's leadership potential: "Political Project and Women's Leadership (EMBA)." It is designed for specialists working in or aspiring to advance within public administration, public policy, civil society institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
Our significant contribution to the modernization of domestic education has been the implementation of pedagogical retraining courses based on the international PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) model for professionals with specialized qualifications who are entering the education sector for the first time. This program opens a pathway into schools for practitioners with valuable real-economy experience who wish to share their knowledge with children. Over 200 people have already completed the courses and received certificates.
Since 2025, in the capital of Kazakhstan – a city that is constantly growing and thus in need of a large number of qualified teaching staff – the Institute "Higher School of Education," which forms part of the structure of Abai KazNPU, has been operating. The institute was established in accordance with a memorandum creating a consortium between our university and L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.
The Higher School of Education holds strategic importance by supplying teachers for Astana's school education system. Today, it has opened 12 groups of educational programs, educating over 400 students.
– A university’s leap in global rankings is always a reflection of the scale of its institutional science. You declared the university’s transformation into a research university. How close has the team come to this ambitious goal, and which scientific fields have become the drivers of this growth?
– Yes, one of the key development directions of our university is the transformation towards the model of a world-class research university. We are consistently increasing the volume of scientific research, strengthening the research infrastructure, and developing international cooperation alongside the commercializing of scientific results. Over the past year, the share of income from research activities reached 9.5% of the university's total budget. The university implemented more than 100 projects in education, as well as the social sciences and humanities.
The development of the university's research infrastructure is concentrated in the "Abai Labs" Science and Innovation Park.
It comprises 13 divisions, including 9 scientific laboratories and 4 research centers working in the fields of STEM, drone technologies, nanotechnologies, physics, biology, ecology, geography, digital educational technologies, artificial intelligence, Turkology, information and communication technologies, oral history, and other promising fields.
In November of the last year, our university's Agrobiostation was opened in the Almaty region, covering an area of more than 38 hectares. This is a unique facility: it includes a modern educational and laboratory base, a dormitory, and sports grounds, and is designed to conduct fundamental and applied research in biology, ecology, geography, and agriculture, as well as for developing students' practical and research competencies. Students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography will undertake practical training here, while master's and doctoral students will implement research projects. The main directions of the Agrobiostation are the efficient use of soil and water resources, the study of agricultural crops, environmental monitoring, and the testing of new agricultural technologies.
The university demonstrates sustainable growth in publication activity. In 2025, about 1,000 articles by our departments and researchers were published in Scopus, Web of Science, and COXSONVO journals. The cumulative Hirsch index (H-index) of the faculty reached 760. Our university holds 5 patents for industrial designs and technologies, as well as 88 copyright certificates.
Abai University publishes 14 scientific journals, and more than 64% of the teaching staff are systematically involved in research activities.
10 academicians of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan work at the university. Four professors from Abai University were among the TOP 50 ranking of the faculty members among Kazakhstan's higher education institutions.
All of this allows us to speak of a consistent transformation of Abai KazNPU into a pedagogical research university – a university focused on knowledge generation, innovation development, and the creation of evidence-based solutions for the education system.
The state supports our researchers. For example, our young scholar, PhD Karim Alimkhanuly, became a laureate of the "Daryn" State Youth Award. Over the past five years, 67 university employees became winners of the "500 Scholars" scientific internship program. The number of researchers who completed scientific internships at leading global research centers and universities reached 28 people. Thanks to the state preferential mortgage program for young scientists, 25 university employees received apartments, and another 4 young scientists received housing certificates.
– Bolat Anapiiayevich, the university is approaching its landmark 100th anniversary. With what vision of the future and what strategic plans will the country's oldest university enter its new century?
– First and foremost, not to stop at what has been achieved, but to continue the transformation. This year, Abai University plans to expand cooperation with leading universities around the world.
Plans have been made for the development of international educational centers and scientific laboratories, including the opening of Abai Centers in China and Turkey, the creation of a Center of Polish Culture and Language, and the Scientific and Methodological Laboratory of Montessori Education in Central Asia.
We set a goal to increase the proportion of international students and continue cooperation with Chinese universities, including the implementation of an educational program based on the "4+0" model with Shandong University. Finally, we intend to systematically strengthen our presence in the international information space, turning scientific results, educational projects, and international partnerships into part of a unified global positioning strategy.
The next hundred years will no longer be determined by how well the country's oldest university manages to preserve its historical heritage, but by how successfully it can convert that heritage into the foundation for new development.
From a national teacher training center, we are moving towards an international center of education and science. From a participant in the global academic system to its active co-creator. And perhaps this transformation will become the university's main achievement as it reaches its centennial anniversary.
Prepared by V. KORESHKOVA
АННОТАЦИЯ
Abai University is a national leader in teacher training; it is a university with stable international positions, high academic prestige, and growing global influence. Chairman of the Board – Rector of the university Bolat Tlep discusses the development vectors and transformation of the country's oldest university, which will celebrate its centennial anniversary in two years.
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