Kazakhstan Launches First University Campus in Russia
Kazakhstan has become the first Central Asian nation to open a university branch in the Russian Federation, with the official launch of a campus of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) at Omsk State University in 2024. The initiative marks a significant step forward in bilateral educational collaboration.
On July 28, a delegation led by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek visited the new campus to assess its facilities, academic programs, and student admissions process, according to a statement from the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
During the visit, the delegation toured the admissions office, academic building, and library. KazNU Rector Zhanseit Tuimebayev presented the university’s efforts in establishing the branch and its academic priorities. Minister Nurbek, in turn, emphasized Kazakhstan’s experience in hosting branches of leading Russian universities and expressed confidence in the success of this reciprocal initiative.
The Omsk campus currently offers three undergraduate programs: Kazakh language and literature, customs affairs, and international law. The branch expects to enroll between 200 and 250 students in its first full academic year in 2025.
Prime Minister Mishustin welcomed the development, praising the strengthening of educational ties between the two countries and encouraging students in the region to take advantage of the new academic opportunities provided by the KazNU branch.
Photo credit: gov.kz
