The basis of the state policy in the field of higher education in Kazakhstan is the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1995). In accordance with paragraph 2, Article 30 of the Constitution "All citizens shall have the right to receive free general secondary, technical and vocational education, and on a competitive basis a free post-secondary, higher and post–higher education provided that the education at these levels is received for the first time". Higher education is acquired by citizens who have completed secondary general, TVET or further (post-secondary) education.
To date, Kazakhstan has 131 higher education institutions (HEIs). Depending on their form of ownership, Kazakh universities are national, corporatized or international institutions, or they have the status of an autonomous organisation of education (AOE). They are divided into public or private bodies according to their source of funding. The establishment and operation of both public and private higher education institutions is regulated and monitored by the Ministry of Education. Private universities are on an equal footing with public ones and holding a license is required, since all universities are subject to regular certification and accreditation.
In 2010, Kazakhstan signed the Bologna Declaration, which was followed by a series of changes in the education system.
A three-level model was introduced based on a credit system measuring the acquired knowledge. Full transition to a new structure took place in 2010 and its major changes were incorporated into the State Programme of Education Development 2011-2020 and the amendments to the Law on Education (2015). In 2012, Kazakhstan adopted a National Qualifications Framework (amended on 12/18/2013):
Bachelor programme - at least 4 years (depending on the field of study)
Master programme – 1 year (professional) or 2 years (scientific)
PhD programme - 3 years
From January 2019, Kazakhstan transferred to a new credit system, fully compatible with ECTS, with 240 credits for Bachelor, 60-120 for Master and 180 for Doctoral programmes. Before 2019, most universities of the country used the Kazakh credit transfer system. The student workload of 1 Kazakhstani credit and the transfer coefficient to ECTS depended on the level of study and the type of academic activity.
In 2018, the total student population was around 500,000 people with female students comprising 54.3%. There are around 14,000 international students enrolled in Kazakh HEIs.
The tuition fees vary from around US $1000 to US $5,500 per year, depending on the programme, institution and study level. HEIs offer a variety of scholarships for students with high academic achievement and/or financial difficulties.
223 academic programmes are taught fully in English at 21 Universities. 301 programmes are run jointly with international HEIs.
Ten universities in Kazakhstan are featured in the QS World University Rankings 2018/19, with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University taking 220th position in the World ranking.
Толығырақ: https://supporthere.org/page/higher-education-kazakhstan
