Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have been warned that bringing in foreign universities does not always strengthen a region’s wider education system as both countries continue to expand their international partnerships.
Central Asia has emerged as a new hub for international universities in recent years through joint programmes, partnerships and branch campuses.
The Kazakhstan government has reported that it had 40 strategic partnerships with leading foreign universities by the end of 2025, including 33 international university branch campuses. Most recently, it deepened ties with Japan and South Korea via the launch of dual-degree programmes in areas such as information security and artificial intelligence.
In the 2025-26 academic year, Kazakhstan hosted 35,075 international students from 88 countries, and it plans to host 100,000 international students by 2029.
There were 32 foreign universities operating in Uzbekistan by the end of 2025. Between January and June of this year, a total of 21,042 foreign students arrived in the country.
