Cross-Border Dialogue: KazNU’s Foreign Branches and World-Leading Scientific Giants in Almaty

A modern research university cannot be imagined without a broad international academic network. That is why the creation of international educational and scientific platforms has become one of the strategic priorities for the development of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Alongside educating more than 7,000 international students and developing powerful international centers in Almaty, the university is expanding its academic presence beyond Kazakhstan, exporting its accumulated wealth of educational and scientific experience.

Today, the international network of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University includes branches in Bishkek, Istanbul, and Omsk, which form part of the university’s broad system of international cooperation. The branches combine education, academic mobility, and scientific collaboration, extending the geography of the presence of Kazakhstan’s universities abroad.

KazNU’s international presence is also developing in the opposite direction. The branches of leading foreign universities – the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI and Northwestern Polytechnical University of China – operate on the basis of the university. This allows Kazakhstan’s students to access international educational practices without leaving the national academic environment and allows the university to integrate foreign experience into its own educational and research processes.

Thus, we see the international academic network as a two-way movement: KazNU exports Kazakhstan’s education while at the same time opening up space for an inflow of international knowledge, competencies, and scientific approaches. This model creates conditions for developing joint educational programs, exchanging faculty and students, and implementing research projects with foreign partners.

In the long term, our task is to build a sustainable cross-border academic ecosystem in which universities, research centers, business, and government institutions jointly create new knowledge and technologies. 

That is why we view the development of KazNU’s international network as directly linked to the university’s scientific and innovation transformation. International education, research, artificial intelligence, digitalization, and the commercialization of scientific developments should not evolve in isolation but reinforce one another.

The Bishkek Branch: A Sought-After Platform for Kazakhstan’s Education

The Bishkek branch of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University was officially opened on May 26, 2022, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov. Its creation became an important practical outcome of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries in education and science.

In a short period, the branch has established a stable academic environment and become a sought-after educational platform. Today it offers 12 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. 

At the bachelor’s level, the programs cover biomedicine, foreign languages, psychology, journalism, law, management, economics, international relations, computer engineering, and information security. The master’s level offers “Management in Education program.”

In the 2025–2026 academic year, the branch’s student body reached 1,333, including 1,292 bachelor’s students and 41 master’s students. For the 2026–2027 academic year, 880 students have been admitted to bachelor’s programs and 21 to master’s programs (admission is continuing), which demonstrates strong interest in KazNU’s educational programs in Kyrgyzstan.

The branch has modern infrastructure with a total area of 2,187.6 sq. m, including classrooms, computer labs, multimedia equipment, and a library. The educational process is provided by 77 highly qualified faculty members. The instructions is conducted in Kazakh, Russian, and English.

An important sign of the high attention paid to the branch’s development by both countries was the 2025 visit of Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Baktiyar Orozov, who at that time served as Minister of Science, Higher Education and Innovation of the Kyrgyz Republic. During the visit, the ministers familiarized themselves with the branch’s activities and its educational and research infrastructure.

Academic ties are strengthened not only at the level of state and university structures, but also directly between students. A vivid example was the trip of 250 students from the Bishkek branch to Almaty in October 2023. 

They visited the KazNU Museum and the “Keremet” Student Service Center, explored the campus infrastructure and the university’s faculties, and were able to feel part of the unified KazNU academic community.

KazNU in Omsk: The First Kazakhstan’s University in Russia

An important stage in expanding KazNU’s international presence and strengthening scientific and educational ties between Kazakhstan and Russia was the opening of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University branch in Omsk. It is the first branch of a Kazakhstan’s university on the territory of the Russian Federation. The branch was officially opened at Dostoevsky Omsk State University on November 27, 2024. The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, took part in the opening ceremony by videoconference, which underscored the highest interstate level and strategic importance of the project.

The legal basis for the branch’s activities is provided by intergovernmental agreements. Omsk State University provided modern infrastructure with an area of 1,536 sq. m free of charge. In May 2025, Rosobrnadzor issued an open-ended educational license, and classes began on September 1, 2025.

The instruction is conducted in Kazakh, Russian, and English in four-year bachelor’s programs (“International Law,” “Customs Affairs,” “Kazakh Language and Literature”). In the 2025–2026 academic year, 68 students successfully passed the competitive selection.

An important measure to support academically gifted young people has been the provision of university discounts that fully cover tuition for the entire period of studies for most of those admitted. In the 2025–2026 academic year, of the 68 students, 50 received a discount and 18 enrolled on a fee-paying basis.

In 2026–2027, the Russian Federation allocated 100 state-funded places, and 23 students enrolled on a fee-paying basis. Graduates of the branch receive Al-Farabi Kazakh National University diplomas, recognized in both countries.

The academic model of the Omsk branch combines the potential of the faculty of KazNU and Omsk State University with that of leading practitioner-experts. The curricula are harmoniously adapted to the regulatory framework of the Russian Federation and the academic standards of KazNU, which guarantees a high level of training for specialists for the cross-border space.

Since its opening, the branch has been visited by Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation; Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Sergei Kravtsov, Minister of Education of the Russian Federation; and Vitaly Khotsenko, Governor of the Omsk Region. In May 2026, an official Russian delegation led by Konstantin Mogilevsky, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, visited the branch. The delegation also included Oleg Smolin, a deputy of the State Duma, and Alexander Koltsov, Minister of Science, Higher Education and Scientific and Technological Development of the Omsk Region. In July 2026, the branch hosted Dauren Abayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation, and Ivan Krott, Rector of Dostoevsky Omsk State University. During the visit, the distinguished guests learned about the branch’s activities, its facilities, its educational opportunities, and prospects for further development. In particular, the guests were shown classrooms and the library collection, which comprises about 3,000 printed publications and provides students and faculty with full access to the electronic library of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and international scientific databases.

Thus, the Omsk branch is gradually becoming an important academic bridge between the two countries, uniting education, science, youth cooperation, and cultural and humanitarian ties.

The strategic prospects of the Omsk branch include expanding enrollment to 300 students, opening programs in Law and Philology, obtaining state accreditation in 2026, and introducing intergovernmental funding with up to 100 state-funded places in each program.

We regard the Omsk model as an important foundation for the further development of KazNU’s international network. The branch shows that the university’s international presence can be not merely a form of education export but a full-fledged tool for integrating educational and scientific spaces, developing academic mobility, and strengthening humanitarian ties between the countries.

KazNU’s Branch in China: A New Stage of International Development

An important step in expanding the university’s international presence was the agreement to open a KazNU branch in the city of Suzhou, People’s Republic of China, at Soochow University. The memorandum was signed on July 16, 2026, during a roundtable of high-tech companies of Kazakhstan and China and is the result of strengthening academic and scientific-technological cooperation between the two countries.

In the first phase, the branch plans to offer three educational programs, including training of specialists in electrical engineering and artificial intelligence. Enrollment of up to 100 students per program is envisaged. Thus, the new platform will focus primarily on training personnel for high-tech industries and fields that will determine future technological competitiveness.

The opening of the branch in Suzhou is of particular importance for KazNU. The city is one of China’s largest scientific, industrial, and innovation centers, and Soochow University has significant educational and research potential. Founded in 1900, it now brings together about 60,000 students, more than 5,000 faculty members, and 37 faculties. The university is actively developing areas related to artificial intelligence, engineering sciences, and training personnel for the modern economy.

The combination of the two universities’ academic strengths opens broad prospects for joint research, academic mobility, and the implementation of international educational programs.

At the same time, we see the future branch not only as an educational platform. It should become a space for developing joint scientific and technological projects, engaging with high-tech business, and building new academic ties. This goal fully corresponds to KazNU’s strategy as a research university, in which education, science, innovation, and international cooperation are regarded as interconnected areas.

Today, almost 2,200 Chinese citizens study at KazNU. The opening of a branch in Suzhou will mark a new stage in Kazakhstan–China University cooperation.

Combining the academic traditions and scientific and technological capabilities of the two universities will make it possible to create an effective educational and research platform in demand in Kazakhstan and China, as well as internationally.

Foreign University Branches at KazNU: A Counter-Movement

No less important and strategically significant a direction of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University’s international policy is the creation of branches of leading foreign universities on our main campus. We see this model as a kind of “countermovement”: on the one hand, KazNU exports its own educational and scientific potential abroad; on the other, it creates conditions for the direct presence of leading world universities in Kazakhstan.

A vivid example of such successful partnership is the Almaty branch of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, which for the fifth year has been providing high-quality training of personnel for the nuclear industry and the scientific and technological sector of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In 2022, its grand opening was attended by Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan; Natalia Bocharova, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Shevchenko, Rector of NRNU MEPhI; and KazNU leadership.

Students of the Almaty branch of NRNU MEPhI study the programs that reflect the most advanced trends in the world science and technology. 

At the bachelor’s level, the programs are Nuclear Physics and Technologies and Computer Science and Engineering, including programs in the operation of nuclear power installations, electronics and automation of cyber-physical systems, and secure high-performance computing systems. At the master’s level, advanced training is offered in Computer Science and Engineering (the program “Secure High-Performance Computing Systems and Technologies”).

The uniqueness of NRNU MEPhI’s academic model lies in combining fundamental theory with practical internships at leading enterprises of Kazakhstan and Russia.

Students spend their final year in Moscow, gaining direct access to the world-class scientific laboratory infrastructure. Graduates receive a Russian diploma of international standard, which is especially relevant given Kazakhstan’s growing demand for highly qualified engineers, nuclear specialists, and information security experts. Leading faculty and specialists from Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation are involved in the educational process, ensuring a combination of fundamental academic training and a practice-oriented approach.

This year, the branch held its first graduation: young specialists successfully completed the educational programs Nuclear Physics and Technologies and Computer Science and Engineering. Diplomas were presented to the graduates in a ceremony by Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

For us, this is not just a first graduating class. It confirms the viability of a model in which international partnership works directly for training personnel for the country’s strategic industries. Our graduates will become sought-after specialists and make a significant contribution to the development of Kazakhstan’s nuclear industry, digital economy, and scientific and technological potential.

NPU and KazNU: From Academic Partnership to Joint Research

An important milestone in expanding the eastern vector of KazNU’s international strategy was the opening of a branch of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) of China, one of the flagships of engineering and technical education in China.

The fundamental decision to create it was made in May 2023 during the state visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to China. A historic agreement was signed in the presence of the heads of the two states, and on October 12, 2023, the branch officially began operating in Almaty at KazNU.

Today the NPU branch trains highly qualified master’s students in key technological fields: Electronics and Communication Technologies, Materials Science and Engineering, and Computer Science and Technology.

The instruction is organized under a dual-degree model: in the first year, master’s students study in Kazakhstan, and in the second, in China. At the bachelor’s level, the breakthrough program “Artificial Intelligence” is also being successfully implemented (also in a 1+1 format).

The branch’s indicators demonstrate dynamic growth: in the 2025–2026 academic year, 106 people joined the student body, and the total enrollment reached 150. In July 2026, the second successful graduation of master’s students (36 specialists) took place.

At the same time, the NPU branch has quickly outgrown the framework of a purely educational unit and is gradually turning into a scientific and technological hub. It is fundamentally important for us that the activities of foreign university branches at KazNU are not limited to the educational process. We strive to turn them into the centers for joint research, technology transfer, personnel training, and the implementation of international scientific and innovation projects.

Among the key achievements are joint microsatellite studies. The agreement signed in July 2024 laid the foundation for space exploration and the development of engineering satellite solutions. A 5G/5.5G communication technologies laboratory has also been created to train specialists and develop next-generation communication technologies, including 6G.

The future of the international branch network of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is inseparably linked to the large-scale adoption of digital innovation. Today the university is already actively using generative neural network tools, its own online proctoring system Farabi Proctoring, and the intelligent assistant Farabi-Ask, and is also developing more than 30 massive open online courses (MOOCs). The synergy of advanced IT services and international academic presence is shaping a flexible cross-border educational space.

The foreign branches of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and the branches of world scientific giants on the basis of our university are a vivid embodiment of the model of the university of the future, where higher education becomes cross-border, research-driven, digital, and deeply practice-oriented.

Zhanseit TUIMEBAYEV,

Chairman of the Management Board – Rector

of Al-Farabi Kazakh

National University

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ABSTRACT

The cross-border cooperation of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is shaping a sustainable international academic ecosystem in which the import of advanced foreign practices is combined with the export of Kazakhstan’s education. The university is actively developing a branch network abroad and also serves as a base for branches of well-known universities from China and the Russian Federation.