Nazarbayev University Enters Top 17% of World Universities
Nazarbayev University has improved its result by 100 places for the second year in a row in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and entered the top 17% of universities worldwide.
Gurban Gurbanzadeh2 min read
Nazarbayev University (NU) has moved up into the 376–400 band in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The university has improved its result by 100 places for the second year in a row and has gained 200 positions over two years. NU also retained first place among universities in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In 2024, NU was in the 501–600 band, in the next rankings cycle it rose to 401–500, and in this year's rankings it entered the 376–400 group.
A Record Number of Participants in the Rankings
The THE World University Rankings is considered one of the most authoritative global university rankings. This year it included a record 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories — 106 more than a year earlier. Against the backdrop of growing international competition, NU has risen from the top 23% to the top 17% of universities worldwide over two years.
THE evaluates universities across five areas: teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry engagement. In the new rankings, NU improved its results in almost all areas. Its strongest indicator remains research quality. On this measure, NU's result is comparable to the University of Geneva, the University of Arizona and the University of Rochester, reflecting the university's growing research influence.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate the entire NU community and Kazakhstan on this result. For the first time, a Kazakhstani university has reached such a level in one of the leading global university rankings. This is an important achievement not only for our university, but also for the country's higher education system. Behind this result lies many years of work by NU's faculty, researchers, students and staff. I thank everyone who through their work contributes to the development of the university, our science and education," noted NU President Waqar Ahmad.
Interest in Studying Is Growing
Interest in studying at NU continues to grow. This year, around 12,000 people applied for admission, and the intake of international students became a record in the entire history of the university. The graduate employment rate remains high — more than 95%.
In the current rankings, Kazakhstan is represented by ten universities. Among them are Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (1201–1400), Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (1401–1600), Satbayev Kazakh National Research Technical University (1401–1600) and Gumilyov Eurasian National University (1601–1800).
Source: kz.kursiv.media
