Kazakhstan sees surge in overseas branch campuses

According to the country’s the ministry of science and higher education, universities from Russia, UK, Türkiye, South Korea, Germany, and Italy are set to open institutions in the central Asian country. 

The Moscow State Institute of International Relations, the UK’s Cardiff University and Coventry University and Türkiye’s Gazi University are each set to open branch campuses. 

Moreover, Woosong University in South Korea is set to expand into Turkistan and the country’s largest metropolis, Almaty, will welcome Germany’s Anhalt University. 

And Taldykorgan will welcome Italy’s Politecnica delle Marche as it launches its Kazakhstan campus, while South Korea’s Dong Eui University will open one in Kostanai. 

We consider our academic partners as strategic investors, so they are given the same tax preferences
_{^{Sayasat Nurbek, ministry of science and higher education, Kazakhstan}}

Though the institutions are expected to be established by 2025/26 and specific programs are yet to be confirmed, areas such as international relations, business, engineering, computer science, hospitality, healthcare, and design would be in focus, based on the usual offerings of the universities.

As per a report by the Astana Times, Kazakhstan is currently home to branch campuses of 23 leading universities, with the country now ramping up efforts to attract major investment in transnational education through its broader internationalisation strategy.

The country’s ambitious TNE strategy is also being supported by generous government incentives with land being provided for free for universities setting up bricks-and-mortar campuses, as reported by The PIE News back in May 2025. 

“We consider our academic partners as strategic investors, so they are given the same tax preferences,” Sayasat Nurbek, minister for science and higher education of Kazakhstan, said at the time. 

Kazakhstan’s growing internationalisation push comes as the number of international students in the country hit a record high of 31,500, last year, with an aim to increase that number to 100,000 by 2028.

For the first time, the number of students coming to Kazakhstan from Asian countries has surpassed those from the Commonwealth of Independent States, a shift driven by the government’s Study in Kazakhstan campaign. 

The largest cohorts now come from India, Russia, and China, with the initiative “attracting talent and building reputation”, according to minister Nurbek. 

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