Education in Kazakhstan: School Stages, 2026 Changes, Examinations and University Pathways

Kazakhstan combines an ordinary eleven-grade school route with vocational colleges, specialised school programmes and a credit-based higher-education system. The most useful map follows the actual qualification and admission decision at each transition.

Reviewed: 17 October 2026. This guide uses current official rules and named institutional examples. It distinguishes changes already effective in 2026, the published 2027 school-examination calendar, and admission notices that apply only to a specified intake.

Kazakhstan education system at a glance

Question	Quick answer
Ordinary school ladder	Primary Grades 1–4; basic secondary Grades 5–9; general secondary Grades 10–11.
Compulsory stages	The 2026 Constitution names primary and basic secondary; preschool preparation has its own statutory requirement.
First-school entry	Normally six, with the government’s calendar-year birthday provisions.
Main transition after Grade 9	Continue general school or apply for an eligible college route.
School examinations and university selection	Final school attestation and UNT serve different purposes.
College awards	Worker, middle-level specialist and postsecondary applied-bachelor qualifications require separate identification.
University qualifications	Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes; professional and institutional variations matter.
Quality checks	Check the programme, institution and applicable recognition service, not only the provider’s name.

1. The system’s main routes and the important 2026 changes

Kazakhstan’s ordinary school ladder comprises four primary years, five basic-secondary years and two general upper-secondary years. After Grade 9, a learner can continue at school or enter a technical and vocational education and training programme, usually in a college. After Grade 11, both college and higher-education routes remain available. The government’s broad overview is useful for this map, but its older examination information should not replace current admission notices. Government system overview.

School and college policy falls under the Ministry of Education; university policy falls under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Regional education authorities matter when translating national rules into school registration, language provision and local places. A ministry standard does not tell a family which nearby school actually offers a particular class.

Three recent developments make older summaries especially risky: a new Constitution took effect in July 2026; revised primary assessment began in September; and school-standard amendments are being introduced by cohort. The guide below treats each separately. A new legal rule, a curriculum starting with selected grades and a university’s own admission criteria are different kinds of change.

2. Compulsory education, stage names and typical ages

The Constitution adopted in March 2026 came into force on 1 July. Article 33 guarantees citizens free secondary education in state educational institutions and identifies primary and basic-secondary education as compulsory. This is the current constitutional wording. It should not be replaced by the broader compulsory-secondary formulation in older English-language summaries. 2026 Constitution, Articles 33 and 94.

On the ordinary school ladder, Grades 1–4 are primary, Grades 5–9 basic secondary, and Grades 10–11 general secondary. A child starting at six and progressing without interruption is approximately six to nine in primary, ten to fourteen in basic secondary, and fifteen to sixteen in the final two school years. These are calculated orientation ages, not separate legal birthday-based leaving limits. School-stage standards.

Grade 9 is therefore both a qualification point and a major route-choice point. It is sensible to prepare the next application before that school year ends. The family’s question is not merely whether the pupil has reached a particular birthday, but which stage has been completed, what certificate will be issued, and which next programme accepts it.

3. Preschool preparation is distinct from full-time kindergarten

The Education Law makes preschool preparation compulsory from age five. It can take place in the family, a preschool organisation or a school’s preprimary class; preparation in state educational organisations is free. This is a preparation requirement, not a rule that every five-year-old must occupy a full-day kindergarten place. Education Law, Article 30.

For a family, the practical distinction is between childcare arrangements, the preparation programme and the later Grade 1 application. Ask a provider which of these it supplies. A kindergarten’s daily timetable, meals and opening hours do not themselves establish how its preparation component connects with school entry.

For example, parents preparing a five-year-old at home should first clarify the expected preparation with the receiving school or local education authority. They should then make the separate first-grade application when that intake opens. Conversely, attending a school-based preparation class should not be assumed to reserve a place in every preferred Grade 1 class. Keep the child’s language of learning and any support needs visible during both conversations.

4. Grade 1 entry: birthday rules and regional registration

The government’s entry guide covers children already six and those turning six during the calendar year. It distinguishes children six by 1 September from those reaching six later that year, whose entry is at parents’ discretion. Ordinary Grade 1 admission is not a competitive school-readiness test. Applications can be made through the official service or the school, with identity and the specified health records and photographs. Grade 1 government guidance; Education Law, Article 31.

The 2026 intake used phased regional opening dates. For example, North Kazakhstan announced applications from 29 June through 31 August. A family should not use an old nationwide April opening date, or another region’s first day, without checking the current local notice. North Kazakhstan’s 2026 notice.

Consider a child whose sixth birthday is in November. The calendar-year provision matters: being five on the first school day does not automatically exclude the child. The parent still needs to decide whether to use that option, submit the application, identify the intended teaching language and confirm placement. Age eligibility, readiness for the transition and availability in a preferred school are related questions, but they are not interchangeable.

5. Teaching language and phased curriculum changes

Kazakh-medium and Russian-medium education are prominent features of the system. National standards also make provision for relevant Uyghur-, Uzbek- and Tajik-medium classes. This does not mean that every locality offers every language. A regional account from Kyzylorda illustrates the practical mix of Kazakh-medium and mixed-language schools. Language provisions in the standards; Regional provision example.

Ask about the actual class, rather than only the school’s name. A mixed-language school may organise different classes by language; an English lesson on the timetable does not establish English-medium instruction in mathematics or science. For a transferring pupil, collect textbooks or topic lists in the intended classroom language before deciding what academic support is needed.

The January 2025 amendment starts with Grades 1 and 5 in September 2026, then Grades 2/6 in 2027, 3/7 in 2028, 4/8 in 2029 and Grade 9 in 2030. A sibling in another grade may therefore still follow a different edition. Use the pupil’s grade and academic year when comparing subject plans. Phased commencement provisions.

6. Primary assessment changed in September 2026

Grade 1 remains without numerical marks; this should not be confused with an absence of teaching feedback. For Grades 2–4, the ministry introduced revised formative and intermediate assessment from September 2026, replacing the previous unit-and-quarter summative arrangement for these grades. Older descriptions of primary assessment can therefore be misleading for the current school year. Ministry explanation of the change.

The ministry’s first operational instructions scheduled intermediate work for 23–30 September. Tasks included dictation and reading comprehension in language, composition or retelling with reading tasks in literary reading, and written mathematical work. The stated maximum scores were 12 in Grade 2, 14 in Grade 3 and 16 in Grade 4; the assessment period was forty minutes. Formative feedback used the ten-point scale. September assessment instructions.

An original example helps explain the distinction: a child might correctly calculate a multiplication problem but choose an unsuitable operation for a word problem. The useful response is to identify the missing reasoning, practise representing the situation and review the next piece of work. Treating the score only as a ranking misses the information the assessment is meant to provide. Ask to see the task and teacher’s feedback alongside the mark.

7. Basic-secondary assessment and the meaning of a mark

The September 2026 amendment retains a different quarterly calculation for Grades 5–11, or Grade 12 where applicable: formative assessment contributes 25%, unit or cross-topic summative assessment 25%, and quarterly summative assessment 50%. Russian-language school communications commonly shorten the latter two to SOR and SOCH. These labels should not simply be carried over to the newly revised primary arrangements. Current assessment amendment.

For illustration, suppose the three components have been converted to 80%, 60% and 70%. Applying the stated weights produces 20 + 15 + 35 = 70%. That is a weighted percentage before the applicable conversion into a school mark; it is not a claim that every task contributes equally. A missing assessment and an unsuccessful completed assessment may also require different responses.

Parents should distinguish the teacher’s feedback on a particular lesson, the quarterly result, the annual result and a final examination result. When a child transfers during a term, ask for the underlying assessment record as well as the latest report card. Otherwise the receiving school may know the overall mark but lack the evidence needed to understand which topics were assessed and where support is needed.

8. Grade 9 and Grade 11 completion examinations

The official 2026/27 order schedules Grade 9 final examinations from 31 May to 11 June 2027 and Grade 11 state graduation examinations from 1 to 17 June. Grade 9 has four examinations: algebra, a chosen subject, an instruction-language written assessment, and the relevant Kazakh- or Russian-language-and-literature examination. Grade 11 has five: Kazakhstan history orally, algebra and introductory analysis, the instruction language, a chosen subject, and the relevant additional language-and-literature examination. The order also accommodates the corresponding Grades 10 and 12 in applicable programmes. Official 2027 examination calendar.

These assessments lead to school-completion qualifications: the basic-secondary certificate after the first completion point and the general-secondary certificate after the later one. The assessment rules combine the examination mark and the school’s quarterly marks in a 30:70 relationship for the examined final-attestation subjects, with rounding under the rules. Final-attestation rules.

The Unified National Testing test used for university admission is a separate process. A pupil needs to organise both school completion and the intended next application. Preparing only for university-selection questions can leave gaps in a school essay, oral history assessment or subject required for the school certificate.

9. Upper-secondary profiles and subject planning

General upper-secondary study is organised around natural-mathematical and social-humanities profiles. These profiles change the depth and combination of subjects; they do not remove the need to complete the school programme. Upper-secondary profile provisions.

The important planning task is to connect three things: the school’s available subjects, the profile-subject combination for the intended admission route, and the content needed to succeed after admission. A pupil attracted to an engineering degree should examine its actual mathematics and science expectations before choosing a school profile merely because its title sounds suitable.

For example, a student undecided between a quantitative university programme and a humanities programme can make two short lists of possible degrees, then compare their required admission subjects. That comparison may expose a subject choice that keeps one route open but closes another. It also gives the school counsellor something concrete to discuss. The final decision should use the current programme group and admission-year notice, rather than a friend’s previous-year combination.

10. Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools use their own programme structure

Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, usually abbreviated NIS, publish a programme framework with primary Grades 1–5, lower-secondary Grades 6–10 and upper-secondary Grades 11–12. This differs from the ordinary national 4+5+2 description. It should not be used to claim that every school in Kazakhstan now has twelve grades. NIS-Programme framework.

Its multilingual design is also more specific than simply calling a school trilingual. The published framework introduces English from Grade 1 and describes subject-language combinations, including upper-secondary physics, chemistry, biology and computer science in English. Availability and entry points still need checking with the particular campus; a network-wide programme description does not prove that every campus recruits into every listed grade.

For a family comparing a regular school and an NIS route, record the actual curriculum, grade of entry, language demands and final qualification. A transfer labelled “Grade 10” can mean different positions within the two structures. Ask the receiving institution to assess the transcript rather than translating the number into an assumed equivalent year. Selection and progression should be checked against that school’s own current notice.

11. Entering a vocational college after Grade 9 or Grade 11

Technical and vocational education and training, or TVET, offers occupational routes after basic or general secondary education. The 2026/27 government admission notice distinguishes worker-qualification selection through interview from middle-level specialist and applied-bachelor competition using relevant school-certificate marks. Teaching, medical and creative programmes have additional selection requirements appropriate to their fields. A college application is therefore not automatically the same process as university admission through the national test. Current college admission arrangements.

Government application guidance allows choices across up to four specialties and four colleges. Read this alongside the actual programme’s funded-place availability and admissions requirements; listing a preference is not an offer. College application choices.

When comparing options, ask for the qualification code, entry background, teaching language and practical-training arrangements. Two programmes marketed as “IT” may train for different occupational roles. An applicant should also check whether a course is a worker qualification, a middle-level specialist qualification or a postsecondary applied-bachelor programme. The word “college” alone does not resolve these distinctions.

12. College durations, applied bachelors and dual training

Astana Economic and Law College provides a concrete comparison. Its software-developer qualification 4S06130103 is listed as three years ten months after Grade 9 or two years ten months after Grade 11. Its web-designer worker qualification 3W06130102 is listed as two years after Grade 9. The accountant qualification 4S04110102 is two years ten months after Grade 9 or one year ten months after Grade 11. These are the college’s published programmes, not national durations for every occupation. Named college programme catalogue.

The applied bachelor belongs to the postsecondary college framework and should not be automatically equated with a university bachelor’s degree. The Education Law provides for its award by higher colleges after the relevant final attestation. Postsecondary and higher-college provisions.

Dual training adds workplace learning through a college–employer arrangement. Kyzylorda’s 2025/26 report describes such provision using agreements involving the college, enterprise and learner. Regional dual-training example. Before accepting an offer, ask who supervises workplace tasks, how they are assessed and what happens if a placement changes. Do not infer a guaranteed salary or a permanent job simply from the word “dual”.

13. Unified National Testing: format and thresholds

The Unified National Testing examination, commonly called UNT, is central to the ordinary undergraduate admission and state-grant route. In the main 2026 session, the test contained 120 questions carrying up to 140 points, with four hours allowed: twenty Kazakhstan-history questions, ten reading-literacy questions, ten mathematical-literacy questions and forty questions in each of two profile subjects. Candidates could take the main test twice. National Testing Centre and ministry notice.

The published minimum totals were 65 for national universities and 50 for other universities, with field thresholds of 75 for law and teacher education and 70 for healthcare. Minimum component scores also applied: five for history and each profile or creative examination, and three for each literacy component. These are qualifying floors, not a promise of admission or a grant.

Session choice matters. The 2026 explanation distinguishes the main May–July testing used for grant competition from January, March and August sessions used for fee-paying admission. It also warns that the profile-subject pair cannot be changed between the two main-session attempts after the first attempt. Session and subject-pair guidance. Check the new cycle’s notice before booking rather than assuming all UNT results have identical uses.

14. University selection, grants and separate institutional routes

Meeting a national test minimum makes an application possible within the relevant rules; it does not settle competitive selection. Universities may set higher thresholds. State educational grants involve a separate competition and application process: the 2026 ministry notice set the grant-application window at 13–20 July. These are dates for the completed 2026 intake, not a forecast for 2027. 2026 grant competition notice.

An applicant should distinguish the degree offer, the funding decision and any conditions still attached to either. A score can be sufficient for a fee-paying place while insufficient for a grant in a sought-after programme. Keep copies of the programme-group choice and submitted application rather than relying on a general statement that the score is “high enough”.

Nazarbayev University publishes a separate regular undergraduate process with specified academic-qualification categories and English-language requirements. Its current page distinguishes application cycles, including 2026/27 mid-year entry and 2027/28 entry. Foundation and direct undergraduate entry are separate options. Use the category and cycle that actually apply to the applicant; do not assume the ordinary national minimum alone settles admission there. Nazarbayev University’s own admission routes.

15. Bachelor’s study, credits and completion

The national higher-education standard normally requires at least 240 academic credits for bachelor’s completion; specified programmes require more. Final attestation accounts for at least eight credits, with its form and procedure determined by the institution. Completion therefore means satisfying the programme’s learning and assessment requirements, not merely remaining enrolled for a set number of years. Higher-education standard.

At Nazarbayev University, the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations is a four-year, 240-credit programme using the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, or ECTS. Satbayev University’s published 2025/26 Water Resources and Water Use programme likewise specifies four years and 240 credits, with Kazakh, Russian and English listed as teaching languages. These examples show the common four-year pattern without making it universal. Political Science and International Relations BA; Water Resources programme passport.

A useful degree comparison includes compulsory modules, electives, practical work and final assessment as well as the credit total. If transferring, request a written mapping of previous modules to the receiving programme. Similar subject titles do not establish identical content, level or assessment, and the total number of past study years is an especially weak substitute for that mapping.

16. Professional programmes and shortened college-to-university routes

Astana Medical University’s 2026/27 paid-intake table lists medicine as six years, pharmacy as five and nursing as four. For medicine it specifies a minimum UNT score of 90 for that competition, illustrating why the national healthcare floor is insufficient as a complete admission guide. These are named programme/intake conditions; they should not be presented as identical rules for every medical institution. Astana Medical University’s 2026/27 table.

For a regulated profession, also ask what further clinical training, certification or professional authorisation is needed for the intended work. A university’s published study duration answers how its programme is organised; it does not by itself establish permission to practise in another country.

College graduates can have routes into related shortened higher-education programmes. The admission amendment provides institution-led admission for specified fee-paying routes involving middle-level specialist or applied-bachelor qualifications, while the higher standard lets institutions determine recognition of prior learning and the remaining study volume. Related shortened-programme admission; Prior-learning provisions. Obtain the actual credit decision before budgeting for a supposedly “two-year top-up”. A shortened route depends on the qualification, related field and receiving programme, not just possession of any college diploma.

17. Master’s degrees: research/teaching and professional routes

Kazakhstan distinguishes scientific-pedagogical master’s study from profile, or professionally oriented, master’s study. The current standard sets minimum totals of 120 and 60 credits respectively; the research/teaching route culminates in a dissertation, while the professional route uses a master’s project, with final defence requirements. Postgraduate standards.

The ministry’s 2026 comprehensive-testing notice set minimum scores of 75 for the scientific-pedagogical route and 30 for the profile route. Applicants need the relevant previous higher-education qualification and the documents and selection evidence required by the admission process. Older references to a different profile-route minimum should not replace this intake-specific notice. 2026 master’s admission notice.

For a concrete academic example, Nazarbayev University’s Master of Science in Applied Mathematics is a two-year, full-time English-medium programme of 120 ECTS, including a thirty-credit thesis and research preparation. Its university admission guidance also specifies school-dependent academic and language requirements. Applied Mathematics programme; Master’s entry requirements. A prospective student should compare the thesis or project component and required mathematical background, not choose only by the shortest advertised duration.

18. Doctoral entry, research milestones and the final award

The national postgraduate standard requires at least 180 credits for doctoral study and doctoral research leading to dissertation defence. An individual university may organise a longer programme. Doctoral standard.

Nazarbayev University’s Chemistry Doctor of Philosophy, or PhD, is a four-year, full-time, 240-ECTS programme. It combines courses with research and requires a comprehensive qualifying examination before the proposal defence, followed by independent research and the doctoral thesis. This is a useful reminder that a doctorate has assessed stages before the final defence. Chemistry doctoral programme.

Entry is also programme-specific. The university’s School of Sciences and Humanities doctoral criteria require the stated prior undergraduate and master’s qualifications, alongside language and selection requirements. Other schools and categories on the same admissions page have their own wording; do not turn one school’s conditions into a universal national rule. Current doctoral admission criteria.

Before applying, identify a feasible research area, the available supervision and facilities, and the programme’s publication and progress requirements. Funding for enrolment, access to a laboratory and a workable research plan are three separate checks. A supervisor’s interest is valuable, but the formal admission decision and funding conditions still need to be confirmed.

19. Accreditation and recognition: check the actual award

The National Centre for Higher Education Development separates registers of recognised accreditation agencies, accredited institutions and accredited educational programmes. Check the institution and the specific programme, including the award level and validity period. An agency’s recognition does not itself prove that every programme at a university is accredited. Official accreditation registers.

Foreign-qualification recognition is another process. The eGov education-services directory distinguishes recognition for higher and postgraduate education from recognition for secondary, technical-vocational and postsecondary education. Select the service matching the qualification, then check its current document and translation requirements. Official recognition-service directory.

For a family moving across borders, preserve the certificate, transcript, grading explanation and, where relevant, programme or module descriptions. These documents answer different questions: the certificate identifies the award, the transcript records study and results, and the syllabus helps a receiving institution compare content. Accreditation, recognition, admission and professional registration should each be checked with the body responsible for that decision. One favourable result should not be assumed to settle all the others.

20. Transfers, rural provision and learning support

Kazakhstan’s school-organisation rules recognise small schools, including arrangements involving combined classes, and resource centres supporting small-school learners. Boarding provision also has a role where children cannot attend a suitable school locally. These are important features of the system’s geography, but a description of the organisational model does not guarantee a particular place, journey or service for every village. School-organisation rules.

When moving, start with the receiving school and local education authority. Ask which grade and language class can accept the child, how previous learning will be assessed, and whether transport or boarding is actually available. A national curriculum cannot eliminate differences in distance, subject staffing or the precise programmes offered locally.

The September 2026 assessment amendment explicitly provides for differentiated or individual tasks for learners with special educational needs, including those following individual programmes. Assessment-support provisions. A practical meeting should translate that into the learner’s actual tasks, accessible materials and communication with teachers. Bring existing assessment records and support plans where available, while asking the receiving school which local process it needs to use.

21. Three practical pathway examples

A Grade 9 learner choosing software training. The learner compares the named software-developer and web-designer qualifications in chapter 12. Rather than selecting by the broad word “computing”, the family asks what the graduate will be qualified to do, which practical tasks are assessed and whether a later related university route is possible. They compare the total journey from the present school year, including any additional school years before a shorter college course.

A school graduate seeking a funded degree. The applicant first checks the required profile-subject pair, then separates the national test, school certificate, university application and grant competition into four entries on a calendar. A qualifying score is treated as an entry condition, not as the funding decision. If a fee-paying alternative is offered, the family asks for the actual annual charge and conditions before assuming it is financially interchangeable with a grant.

A working graduate considering postgraduate study. The applicant compares a research/teaching master’s with a professional master’s and checks the required prior background. If doctoral research is the eventual goal, the next question is whether the chosen programme supplies the research preparation and entry qualification expected by the intended doctorate. The shortest route is not automatically the most suitable preparation.

22. Frequently asked questions

Does every school finish at Grade 11? No. The ordinary ladder and the NIS programme have different grade structures. Check the particular curriculum and final award rather than assuming that the largest grade number tells you the qualification level.

Should I use a primary-school assessment guide published before September 2026? Only after checking it against the revised arrangements. A document describing SOR and SOCH for younger primary pupils may describe the previous system. Ask for the current teacher explanation and the child’s actual assessment record.

Is passing the school-leaving examination the same as obtaining a university place? No. School completion, selection for a degree and selection for funding have separate purposes. Keep the relevant certificates and decisions distinct.

Does an applied bachelor from a college automatically become a university bachelor? No automatic equivalence should be assumed. Identify the award’s level and ask the receiving university which credits and entry route it will recognise. A shortened offer should specify the remaining programme.

Can a foreign certificate or degree be used without further checking? The receiving institution and the applicable recognition service must establish what is required. Supply the actual qualification and transcript, not merely a translation of the award title into a familiar local term.

What should a family confirm first? Start with the learner’s current grade or qualification, the intended programme, teaching language and admission year. Those four details make questions about compulsory stages, assessment, entry and future progression much easier to answer accurately.

Official sources and scope

Primary sources below include the Constitution and consolidated legislation, national and regional government notices, official testing information and institutions’ own programme specifications. Dates and thresholds are tied to their stated academic year. Named colleges and universities illustrate real routes; their conditions are not universal rules. Consult the current notice for the learner’s next intake.

• Constitution of Kazakhstan, 2026 — Articles 33 and 94: educational guarantees, compulsory stages and commencement.
• Government overview of education in Kazakhstan — Broad institutional ladder; use the dated instruments below for current legal and admission rules.
• Law on Education, consolidated text — Preschool preparation, school entry, vocational and postsecondary distinctions.
• Government guide: enrolling a child in Grade 1 — Calendar-year age rule, application channels and documents.
• North Kazakhstan: Grade 1 admission in 2026 — Regional opening date within the phased national intake.
• State compulsory school standards, Order 348 — Stage lengths, languages, upper-secondary profiles and phased amendments.
• Kyzylorda education authority: 2026 school provision — An example of Kazakh-medium and mixed-language provision.
• Ministry: primary assessment from September 2026 — The distinction between Grade 1 and the changed Grades 2–4 arrangements.
• Ministry: first intermediate assessments, September 2026 — Class-specific points, timing and examples of assessed tasks.
• Assessment amendment, Order 257-NQ, September 2026 — Current primary provisions and secondary weighting; applies to relations arising from 1 September 2026.
• School assessment rules, Order 125, consolidated comparison — Final-attestation marks and school-completion procedures.
• Official 2026/27 school and final-examination calendar — Order 213-NQ of 29 July 2026; the examinations scheduled for May–June 2027.
• Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools: NIS-Programme — The network’s own stage organisation and multilingual curriculum.
• Government notice: college admission for 2026/27 — Worker qualifications, middle-level specialist admission and special selection requirements.
• Government college-application guidance, 2026 — Programme and institution choices in the application process.
• Astana Economic and Law College: programme catalogue — Named qualification codes and different durations after Grades 9 and 11.
• Kyzylorda regional report: dual training — Regional 2025/26 employer partnerships and three-party arrangements.
• Higher-education admission amendment, July 2025 — Admission to related shortened programmes for specified college qualifications.
• Ministry and National Testing Centre: main UNT, 2026 — Test structure, attempts and minimum total and subject scores.
• Education authority: UNT sessions, 2026 — Main-session grant eligibility and other sessions used for fee-paying admission.
• Ministry: educational-grant applications, 2026 — Competitive funding applications and institution-specific admission thresholds.
• Nazarbayev University: regular undergraduate admission — Separate qualifications, English requirements and application cycles.
• Higher and postgraduate state standards, Order 2 — Current credit requirements, final attestation and recognition of prior learning.
• Nazarbayev University: Political Science and International Relations BA — A four-year, 240-ECTS undergraduate example.
• Satbayev University: Water Resources and Water Use, 2025/26 — Published programme passport, credits, duration and teaching languages.
• Astana Medical University: planned paid intake, 2026/27 — Programme-specific durations and minimum scores for this intake.
• Ministry: master’s admission and grants, 2026 — Comprehensive-testing thresholds for research/teaching and professional routes.
• Nazarbayev University: MSc in Applied Mathematics — Two-year study plan, thesis and research preparation.
• Nazarbayev University: regular master’s admission — School-specific academic background, language and selection requirements.
• Nazarbayev University: PhD in Chemistry — Four-year programme, qualifying examination, proposal and doctoral research.
• Nazarbayev University: regular doctoral admission — School-specific prior qualifications and selection requirements.
• National Centre for Higher Education Development: accreditation registers — Separate registers for recognised agencies, institutions and programmes.
• eGov: education services directory — Separate recognition services for school/college and higher/postgraduate qualifications.
• Education authority: rules for school organisations — Small schools, resource centres and boarding-school arrangements.

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