Astana
International University has entered the nation’s top nine universities
following the results of the 2026 national state grant competition.
This
year’s competition was marked by record-high levels of rivalry:
- Fewer grants
available: The total number of undergraduate grant places in Kazakhstan
decreased by 1,713, settling at 75,371 compared to 77,084 the previous
year.
- Increased
competition: The number of students who passed the Unified National
Testing (UNT) grew by 23,000—from 210,000 to 233,000 applicants. This
pushed the average competition rate up from 2.7 to 3.1 applicants per
grant place.
- Higher entry
standards at AIU: The university intentionally raised its UNT threshold
score by 5 to 30 points across 12 educational program groups.
Despite
these challenging conditions and higher criteria, 2,119 state grant holders
chose Astana International University, exceeding last year’s figure of 2,017
students.
Out
of 116 higher education institutions in Kazakhstan, AIU secured 9th place this
year. The strong presence of a young university among the established leaders
of higher education is a direct result of the entire AIU team's hard work and
the strongest proof of high trust from applicants and their parents.
Congratulations
to the faculty, staff, and new students of Astana International University on
this outstanding victory!