Higher education in Kazakhstan remains fairly affordable compared with many other countries, Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek told a Central Communications Service briefing, Qazinform News Agency reports. According to the minister, the state provides plenty of educational grants.
More than 655,000 grants totaling over 1.5 trillion tenge have been awarded over the past seven years. "If we compare the number of graduates with the number of grants, the ratio is now roughly two to one. That is, every second graduate can effectively qualify for a state educational grant," Sayasat Nurbek said.
At the same time, as the minister noted, given demographic growth, state grants alone may be insufficient in the future. That is why the ministry has introduced additional student support mechanisms over the past three years. These include the Keleshek program, differentiated grants, interest-free education loans, and the National Fund for Children program.
Under the Keleshek program, 240,000 families have already opened special accounts to save for their children's education. The state provides starting capital. There are also rewards from banks and the state. "If a child secures a grant, the accumulated funds do not expire.
They can be used to purchase housing or saved for the next child in the family," the minister explained. He also talked about the cost of studying at Kazakh universities. According to him, the ministry controls tuition fees at state universities, preventing increases above inflation.
In particular, annual growth is kept within 10%. For private higher-education institutions, direct regulation is limited, since they operate as commercial organizations and are protected by the Entrepreneurial Code. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is negotiating with the Association of Private Universities, urging them to follow a moderate pricing policy.
As an example, Sayasat Nurbek cited foreign universities that have opened branches in Kazakhstan. He said tuition at these branches has been significantly reduced compared to their main campuses. "If you go to study in Cardiff in the UK, a year of study costs about $20,000–22,000.
Here, at the Cardiff University branch, 300 grants per year are allocated to Kazakhstan citizens. If you enroll on a paid basis, tuition costs about $13,000 — almost half as much," he said. Similar work has been done with Coventry University, where 200 grants are available for Kazakh students.
According to the minister, tuition at foreign university branches has been reduced by about 40–50% compared with their main campuses.