The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ALMATY – Kazakhstan continued to strengthen its position as Central Asia’s leading higher education hub as Almaty reached its highest-ever position in the QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranking and the country recorded another year of growth in international student enrollment. Astana also improved its position, rising eight places to 119th, reinforcing Kazakhstan’s growing role as a regional higher education hub, reported the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s press service.
Published by international higher education analytical agency QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the ranking assesses 150 cities worldwide that meet population and university criteria based on the QS World University Rankings 2027. Cities are evaluated across six indicators: university rankings, student mix, employer activity, affordability, desirability and student views. University ecosystem and affordability One of Almaty’s strongest advantages remains its concentration of higher education institutions.
The city is home to nine universities included in the QS World University Rankings 2027, placing it 50th globally in the university rankings indicator, which measures the overall strength of a city’s university ecosystem. Kazakhstan also continues to rank highly for affordability. Astana placed ninth in the world for the cost of studying and living, while Almaty ranked 24th, making both cities among the most affordable destinations for international students.
The rankings also recorded improvements in the student diversity indicator for both cities, reflecting the increasing international composition of Kazakhstan’s university communities and the growing attractiveness of the country’s higher education sector to students from abroad. International student enrollment The improved rankings coincide with rising international enrollment. During the 2025-2026 academic year, 35,075 international students from 88 countries studied at Kazakhstan’s universities, an 11% increase compared with the previous academic year.
The government has identified the internationalization of higher education as one of the priorities of the Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science for 2023-2029. According to the ministry, Kazakhstan aims to increase the number of international student…
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