Kazakh university among top five in Turkic world

Times Higher Education has published its Central Eurasia University Rankings for the first time, assessing universities across the Turkic world. Nazarbayev University placed fourth among 122 institutions, sharing the position with Boğaziçi University. Higher placement in international rankings enhances global visibility and may expand academic and career opportunities for students and graduates.

The ranking is based on data from the World University Rankings 2026. Despite being founded in 2010, NU remains the highest-ranked university in Central Asia among participating Kazakh institutions. It trails only three Turkish universities: Koç University (founded in 1993), Middle East Technical University (founded in 1956) and Sabancı University (founded in 1994).

«This recognition confirms our standing as a leading university in Central Eurasia», said NU President Waqar Ahmad. «Our vision is to be world class in research, innovation and teaching, while supporting the development of Kazakhstan and the region. Our sharpened strategic focus, strengthened academic leadership and investment in research and innovation, will accelerate our progress towards achieving this vision. We expect the outcomes to be reflected in improved ranking position in the years to come».

While Turkish universities dominate the ranking numerically, NU distinguishes itself through strong international engagement, measured by the number of international students and faculty, as well as research output. This performance is supported by the expansion of its doctoral funding program: NU has doubled the number of PhD grants to 200, introduced additional funding across all disciplines, and extended the application deadline through March 2026.

NU continues to expand partnerships with Turkish universities, advance joint interdisciplinary research and support academic exchange programs. Digital technologies are a priority area. The Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) develops multilingual platforms, including MangiSoz 3 and TilSync, which support speech recognition, machine translation and simultaneous interpretation in Turkic languages.

The pilot ranking includes universities from five member states of the Organization of Turkic States: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. The list of participating countries and institutions may expand in the future.

NU’s inclusion among the top universities of the Turkic world strengthens its position as one of the region’s key research centers and reflects growing competition among Central Eurasian universities on the global stage.