Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University
Әбілқас Сағынов атындағы Қарағанды техникалық университеті
Central Kazakhstan's mining-born polytechnic, now offering 46 bachelor programmes in engineering, IT and economics.
- Tuition
- KZT 645K
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1953
- QS World Ranking
- 1001-1200
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
- Buildings and structures of more than 96,000 sq m (university figure)
About Saginov Technical University
Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University began in 1953 as the Karaganda Mining Institute, the first specialist university in central Kazakhstan, created when coal mining expanded and the region needed engineers. In 1958 it became the Karaganda Polytechnic Institute, then the only polytechnic in Kazakhstan. It is named after Abylkas Saginov, who led it as rector from 1955 to 1987. Today it is a non-profit joint-stock company and the university says it has more than 10,000 students, master's and doctoral students, and more than 1,000 teaching staff.
The university describes a campus of seven teaching and laboratory buildings, 185 laboratories, three dormitories and a sports complex. Teaching is organised in six faculties: Architecture and Construction; Mining; Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering; Transport, Logistics and Engineering Economics; Information Technology; and Power Engineering, Automation and Telecommunications. A College of Innovative Technologies sits alongside them. Its 2025 guide for foreign applicants lists 46 bachelor, 40 master's and 14 PhD programmes.
Teaching is in Kazakh and Russian, so it suits applicants from Kazakhstan and the Russian-speaking region who want a practical engineering or IT degree at a low tuition price. Most Kazakh applicants are admitted on Unified National Testing (UNT) results, and a state grant covers the fees of those who score high enough. Foreign applicants are admitted after an interview rather than a test.
Why students choose Saginov Technical University
The university offers about 46 bachelor programmes, from mining, geology and metallurgy to Data Science, IT-engineering and information security.
Self-funded bachelor tuition for the 2026 intake is set at KZT 645,000 to 790,000 for the first year, with the same price list covering non-residents of Kazakhstan.
The university reports more than 1,300 state educational grants a year, and foreign citizens can apply for Kazakhstan government scholarships that cover tuition and pay a monthly stipend.
Its Kazakhstan Welding Institute, a mining education competence centre under UNESCO auspices and a Confucius Institute give students specialised research and language links.
Admissions
2026 intake (latest published; 2027 dates not yet published)
Selectivity
The university publishes no acceptance rate. Kazakh applicants are admitted on Unified National Testing (UNT) results above published threshold scores, competing for state grants or paying fees; foreign applicants who pay their own fees are admitted after an interview.
Typical entry requirements
| UNT (Kazakhstan) | Threshold scores of 50 to 65 points for most programme groups in 2026-27 (highest grant threshold 65, Transport Services); Information Technology 55 (fee-paying) or 60 (grant); Information Security 60; Architecture 90 (fee-paying) or 100 (grant) |
|---|---|
| Foreign school certificate | Original certificate with transcript plus notarised translations into Kazakh or Russian, nostrification (recognition) certificate, and an interview for bachelor entry |
| Bachelor degree (for master's) or master's degree (for PhD) | Entrance exams for master's and PhD applicants run 10 to 20 August; PhD applicants need an IELTS certificate |
| English language | Bachelor teaching is in Kazakh and Russian, and the university sets no English test for foreign bachelor applicants. Its guide asks PhD applicants for an IELTS certificate and master's applicants for a foreign-language certificate such as IELTS if they have one. |
Deadlines
- Creative exams (Architecture, previous cycle) Non-binding PassedApplications 20 June to 10 August 2026
Creative exams were held 7 July to 15 August 2026.
- Document submission (Kazakh applicants, previous cycle) Non-binding Passed20 June to 25 August 2026
UNT was held 10 May to 10 July 2026; grant competition applications 13 to 20 July 2026; grant list published by 10 August 2026.
- Foreign applicants (previous cycle) Non-binding Passed1 June to 25 August
Enrolment of foreign fee-paying students happens 16 to 25 August. Master's and PhD entrance exams run 10 to 20 August.
Dates for the 2027 intake are not yet published. The dates above are the 2026 admissions calendar and the general foreign-applicant window from the university's 2025 guide; confirm the 2027 calendar with the admissions office.
How to apply
Kazakh applicants take the UNT and submit documents to the admissions office; grant places are competed for in a separate application window. Foreign applicants submit an original school certificate with notarised translation and nostrification certificate, three passport copies, four 3x4 photos, a medical certificate (form 075-U), a vaccination record for full-time study and a bank statement showing ability to pay. Copies may be sent online first, with originals handed in at enrolment.
What admissions looks for
- UNT results at or above the threshold score for the programme group, with higher scores needed for state grant places.
- For Architecture, a pass in the university's creative entrance exams in drawing and technical drawing.
- For foreign applicants, a complete, notarised and recognised set of school documents and proof of ability to pay.
- For PhD applicants, a research plan, a list of publications and an IELTS certificate.
Tips for applying to Saginov Technical University
- 1 Check the threshold-score table for your programme group before choosing: it is published by group and separately for grant and fee-paying places.
- 2 Foreign applicants should begin nostrification of their school certificate early, since the university requires the recognition certificate.
- 3 Apply for the student visa only after enrolment: the invitation for a C9 study visa is issued after the enrolment order.
- 4 Foreign citizens can try the Kazakhstan government scholarship programme, which covers tuition and pays a monthly stipend, before self-funding.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in KZT
State educational grants (over 1,300 a year, awarded by UNT score) cover tuition for Kazakh applicants. The university also publishes tuition discounts, a Rector's Grant and a discount for holders of the Altyn Belgi school award. Foreign citizens may compete for Kazakhstan government scholarships, which cover tuition and pay a monthly stipend depending on academic results.
- More than 1,300 a year (university figure)
- State educational grants
- USD 200 (university guide for foreign students)
- Student visa fee (C9)
- About KZT 17,000, period not stated in the university guide and subject to change
- Dormitory (average)
Academics
Mining, Geology and Metallurgy
The university began as a mining institute, and its 2025 programme list groups geology, mining, metallurgy, oil and gas, mineral processing and mine surveying together.
Information Technology
Includes Information Systems, IT-medicine, Computer Engineering and Software, Data Science and IT-engineering, with fee-paying threshold score 55 in 2026-27.
Information Security
Information Security Systems and Network Security, with a 2026-27 threshold score of 60 for both grant and fee-paying places.
Architecture
A five-year programme with creative entrance exams in drawing and technical drawing, and the highest UNT threshold scores on the 2026-27 list (90 fee-paying, 100 grant).
Automation, Electrical Engineering and Power
Automation and Control, Embedded Digital Control Systems, Electric Power and Heat Power are among the technical programmes listed.
Transport, Logistics and Road Construction
Includes Transport and Transport Technologies, Logistics (Transport) and Transport Construction and Road Operation.
Research
- Five research institutes, including the Kazakhstan Welding Institute (a member of the International Institute of Welding club) and the New Materials institute.
- An International Competence Centre for Mining-Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO is based at the university.
- The university reports seven engineering competence centres equipped with corporate partners such as Festo, Schneider Electric, Mitsubishi Electric and Leica Geosystems.
- It hosts a Confucius Institute and is part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation University network.
Schools & faculties
- Architecture and Construction Faculty
- Mining Faculty
- Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering Faculty
- Faculty of Transport, Logistics and Engineering Economics
- Information Technology Faculty
- Faculty of Power Engineering, Automation and Telecommunications
- College of Innovative Technologies
The university's applicant page claims 95% graduate employment; it does not state the year or method.
Student life
The university has three dormitories with 1,500 places, including a nine-storey building named Armandastar Ordasy, on the university campus. Its campus includes a sports complex and a Palace of Youth, and the university runs a sports and recreation camp called Polytechnic in the Karkaralinsk resort area. It also has a student sports club, and foreign students with good grades can join academic mobility programmes such as Erasmus+ and DAAD from the second year.
- Three dormitories with 1,500 places, including the nine-storey Armandastar Ordasy building of 16,600 sq m.
- A sports complex and a university sports club.
- Academic mobility, including DAAD and Erasmus+, is open to foreign students with good grades from the second year.
- The Polytechnic sports and recreation camp in the Karkaralinsk resort area.
Housing. The university offers dormitory places to students during the academic year; payment is due 50% at check-in (September to January) and 50% by 1 February, according to its guide for foreign students.
Location
Karaganda is a major industrial and cultural city in the centre of Kazakhstan, about 230 km south-east of the capital Astana. It had a population of 497,777 in the 2020 census and grew around coal mining, which explains the university's mining origins. The main campus is on Nazarbayev Avenue. The university describes the city as easy to reach by plane, train or bus, including from Russia and other countries.
Nearest airport: Sary-Arka Airport (KGF), about 24 km south-east of Karaganda
Notable alumni
- TS Tuleutai SuleimenovDiplomat and first Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan; graduated in 1967 from the Karaganda Polytechnic Institute (the university's predecessor)
- NN Nurlan NigmatulinPolitician who chaired the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan 2012-2014 and 2016-2022; graduated in 1984 as a mechanical engineer from what Wikipedia calls Karaganda Technical University (then the Karaganda Polytechnic Institute)
- NT Nikolay TokarevBusinessman, listed by Wikipedia as president of the Russian pipeline company Transneft; graduated in 1973 from Karaganda Polytechnic Institute (the university's predecessor) in electrification and automation of mining works
- DS Dmytro SalamatinFormer Minister of Defence of Ukraine (2012); graduated from the Mining Department of Karaganda Polytechnic Institute (the university's predecessor) in 1989
- KD Konstantin DolganKazakh-American entrepreneur, co-founder of LA New Product Development Team; BSc in mechanical engineering from Karaganda State Technical University (the university's former name) in 2008
- OU Onega UlanovaKazakh-American businesswoman, co-founder of LA New Product Development Team; BSc in standardization, metrology and certification from Karaganda State Technical University (the university's former name)
- AA Almaz AlsenovEntrepreneur and former professional judoka, founder of Harvest Group; diploma in geophysical engineering (mining) from Karaganda State Technical University (the university's former name) in 2006
Frequently asked questions
Is Karaganda Technical University taught in English?
No. The university teaches in Kazakh and Russian, and it sets no English test for foreign bachelor applicants. It asks PhD applicants for an IELTS certificate.
How much are tuition fees at Saginov Technical University?
For the 2026 intake, self-funded bachelor study costs about KZT 645,000 to 790,000 a year depending on the programme group, and the same list applies to non-residents of Kazakhstan. Master's costs KZT 695,000 a year.
How do foreign students apply?
Foreign applicants send school documents with notarised translation and a nostrification certificate, plus medical and financial documents, and take an interview for bachelor entry. The university's 2025 guide gives the application window as 1 June to 25 August.
Do I need a visa to study in Karaganda?
Citizens of countries needing a visa require a C9 student visa. The university issues the invitation only after enrolment, and its guide gives the visa fee as USD 200.
Is there student accommodation?
Yes: three university dormitories with 1,500 places. Payment is split into two instalments per academic year.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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