The biggest milestone was achieved by Nazarbayev University, which ranked within the 401–500 range — the highest result ever recorded by a Kazakh university in any global ranking.
According to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Kazakhstan became the most represented country in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Alongside Nazarbayev University, the list includes Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (1201–1500), L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Satbayev University, and the Kazakh Research University of Agriculture.
Times Higher Education analysts note that Central Asia and the Caucasus are emerging as “a new center of gravity” in the global academic landscape. In 2020, only three universities from the region were ranked — today, there are six times as many.
The World University Rankings is the most comprehensive and balanced global assessment of research universities, based on 18 indicators across five pillars:
- Teaching (quality and reputation)
- Research Environment (income and productivity)
- Research Quality (citations and influence)
- International Outlook (mobility and collaboration)
- Industry (innovation and patents).
The Ministry reports that the ranking considered 19 million publications, 1.5 million expert survey responses, and data from over 3,000 institutions worldwide.
