Kazakhstan has become one of the world’s leaders in higher education

photo credit: https://www.gov.kz/

Kazakhstan ranked first among Central Asian and Caucasus countries in the number of universities included in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026. Five domestic universities are included in the list, and Nazarbayev University entered the global top 500 for the first time. According to the ranking, Nazarbayev University rose to the 401–500 range, the best result ever for a Kazakhstani university. The second most significant achievement was Al-Farabi Kazakh National University maintaining its position in the 1201–1500 range. L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satbayev University, and Kazakh Agrarian Research University also made the ranking.

A record number of universities from Central Asia and the Caucasus were included in the ranking—17 universities from five countries in the region. Kazakhstan was the most represented country.

By comparison, Uzbekistan received four universities this year, including the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization, which entered the top 600 for the first time. Azerbaijan doubled its presence to four universities, and Georgia was represented by three institutions.