Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University
Azərbaycan Dövlət Neft və Sənaye Universiteti
Baku's century-old oil and engineering university, with dual degrees run with Strasbourg and Warwick.
- Students
- 18,640
- 15,375 undergraduates
- Founded
- 1920
- QS World Ranking
- 711-720
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About ASOIU
Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University traces its foundation to 16 November 1920, when a polytechnic institute was established in Baku; it opened by decree on 12 December 1920 with faculties including oil and mining, electromechanics and economics. Through the 20th century, under several names, it trained engineers for Azerbaijan's oil industry, and it took its current name by presidential decree in 2015 to cover industry and technology more broadly.
ASOIU is organised into seven faculties: Geological Exploration, Oil and Gas Production, Chemical Technology, Oil Mechanical Engineering, Power Engineering, Information Technologies and Control, and Economics and Management. It reports 15,375 bachelor's students in 31 specialties (18 of them internationally accredited), 2,962 master's students, 303 doctoral researchers and 829 academic staff, plus more than 1,100 international students from 58 countries. It also hosts the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ), run with the University of Strasbourg, and a master's-level dual degree with the University of Warwick.
Students intern at around 500 companies, from SOCAR and its subsidiaries to Azercell and Baku Metro, and the university says more than 80% of graduates find work. It suits students aiming at energy, chemical, industrial or IT careers who want a large, established engineering school in the Caspian's oil capital.
Why students choose ASOIU
Internships are built into the curriculum at nearly 500 enterprises, including SOCAR, SOCAR Upstream, AzerGold and Azerbaijan Railways.
UFAZ, housed within ASOIU, awards dual degrees with the University of Strasbourg at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level.
Students in the selective SABAH groups (1,098 in total) are taught with modern methods by more than 100 teachers.
The university reports that more than 80% of its graduates are employed and that it works with over 700 public and private enterprises.
Admissions
2027-28 entry
Selectivity
ASOIU does not publish an acceptance rate. Azerbaijani school-leavers are placed through the State Examination Center's national exam; UFAZ additionally requires more than 450 of 700 points in Group 1 and ranks applicants only on its own entrance exam.
Typical entry requirements
| Azerbaijani school certificate | Placement by State Examination Center exam score; UFAZ requires more than 450/700 in Group 1 plus the UFAZ entrance exam |
|---|---|
| International applicants | Secondary school certificate and documents submitted through SIACAS (portal.edu.az); for UFAZ, results of the higher-education entrance exam in the home country and academic records for the last one or two years |
Deadlines
ASOIU does not publish 2027-28 international application dates on its English pages. Applications run through portal.edu.az; its Azerbaijani language preparatory course admits students from August to 1 March each year.
How to apply
International applicants register on SIACAS, the Study in Azerbaijan Centralized Admission Service at portal.edu.az, choose ASOIU and a specialty, and apply free of charge. The application is sent to the university, which may ask for more documents, an online or in-person interview, or payment before admission is confirmed; ASOIU's International Student Services Office then helps with registration, visa and migration issues. Azerbaijani applicants are placed through the State Examination Center.
What admissions looks for
- A completed secondary education with results that meet the chosen specialty's requirements.
- For UFAZ, strong physics, chemistry and mathematics, tested in the UFAZ entrance exam, plus English.
- Complete documents submitted through SIACAS, and readiness for an interview if the university asks.
- For those who do not yet speak the language of instruction, completion of a preparatory language course.
Tips for applying to ASOIU
- 1 Start on portal.edu.az: SIACAS is free and forwards your application to ASOIU; for programme questions, email the university directly.
- 2 If you need to learn Azerbaijani first, the university's six-month course (age limit 40) takes students from August to 1 March; ASOIU also runs English and Russian language courses for foreigners.
- 3 For UFAZ programmes, look at the published sample entrance-exam questions and note that ranking is based only on the UFAZ exam.
- 4 Prepare a translated and certified school certificate and a medical certificate issued in Azerbaijan, which the language course requires.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in AZN
ASOIU does not publish international tuition fees on its English pages; fees are set per programme and confirmed through SIACAS or by the university. At UFAZ, all 190 admitted students are offered government-funded places. The university's merit awards include Presidential scholarships, the Movsum bey Khanlarov scholarship (15 bachelor's students) and the Eyyub Tagiyev scholarship (47 master's students).
- 15 bachelor's students
- Movsum bey Khanlarov scholarship
- 47 master's students
- Eyyub Tagiyev scholarship
- 190 students, all on government-funded places
- UFAZ bachelor's admissions
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Petroleum engineering (Faculty of Oil and Gas Production)
The university's founding strength; alumni include SOCAR president Natig Aliyev and former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, who studied petroleum engineering.
Geological exploration
Taught in a dedicated faculty whose graduates include geologist Farman Salmanov, discoverer of oil in western Siberia.
UFAZ dual-degree programmes
Bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees with the University of Strasbourg, with a separate science entrance exam.
ASOIU-University of Warwick dual degree
A master's-level dual degree programme with the UK university.
Chemical technology
A full faculty tied to the petrochemical industry, with internships at SOCAR Polymer and SOCAR Downstream.
Information technologies and control
Computing and control engineering, with internship links to Azercell, Aztelekom and banks.
Research
- ASOIU staff published 2,337 Scopus-indexed and 1,111 Web of Science-indexed articles between 2020 and 2025.
- The university publishes the Baku Mathematical Journal and the Azerbaijan Journal of High Performance Computing.
- It is affiliated with the Oil and Gas Institute of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Science and Education and runs a Digital Energy Centre.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Geological Exploration
- Faculty of Oil and Gas Production
- Faculty of Chemical Technology
- Faculty of Oil Mechanical Engineering
- Faculty of Power Engineering
- Faculty of Information Technologies and Control
- Faculty of Economics and Management
- French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ)
The university reports that, according to its surveys, more than 80% of ASOIU graduates are employed.
Student life
ASOIU's main building is on Azadliq Avenue in central Baku. Student life runs through the Student Trade Union Committee, the Student Youth Organization and a Student Scientific Society, and the clubs list includes debate, Model UN (AziMUN), theatre, chess, cinema, music, a youth dance ensemble and chapters of engineering societies such as SPE and IMechE. International students are supported by a dedicated office for admission, visas, migration, accommodation and orientation, and summer schools take students abroad, including to Oxford.
- More than 1,100 international students from 58 countries.
- Student chapters of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and IMechE.
- Debate, AziMUN, theatre, chess and dance clubs.
- Azerbaijani, English and Russian language courses for foreign nationals.
Location
Baku is Azerbaijan's capital and only metropolis, with an urban population of over two million, on the Absheron Peninsula along the Caspian Sea. It sits 28 metres below sea level, the lowest-lying national capital in the world. ASOIU's main building is in the city centre near the 28 May and Jafar Jabbarly metro stations, and the city has been an oil centre for more than a century.
Nearest airport: Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Baku (GYD)
Notable alumni
- JE José Eduardo dos SantosPresident of Angola 1979-2017; degrees in petroleum engineering and radar communications (1969), when the school was the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute
- HA Heydar AliyevPresident of Azerbaijan 1993-2003; studied architecture at the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute 1939-1941 (did not graduate there)
- NA Natig AliyevPresident of SOCAR (1993-2004) and Minister of Industry and Energy; graduated from the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in 1970
- FS Farman SalmanovGeologist known for discovering extensive oil fields in western Siberia (1961); graduate of the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute
- FG Fuad GuliyevPrime Minister of Azerbaijan; petroleum engineering graduate (1963)
- KY Khoshbakht YusifzadehGeologist and SOCAR first vice-president; graduated from the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute in 1952
- RI Rustam IbragimbekovScreenwriter of Burnt by the Sun and White Sun of the Desert; graduated from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute
Frequently asked questions
How do international students apply to ASOIU?
Through SIACAS, the national Study in Azerbaijan Centralized Admission Service at portal.edu.az, which is free. The university reviews the application and may ask for documents, an interview or payment.
Does ASOIU teach in English?
ASOIU does not state the language of each bachelor's programme on its English pages. UFAZ programmes use an entrance exam in Azerbaijani or Russian that includes English, and the university offers Azerbaijani, English and Russian language courses for foreign students.
What is UFAZ?
The French-Azerbaijani University, part of ASOIU, which runs dual degrees with the University of Strasbourg; all 190 admitted bachelor's students receive government-funded places.
How many international students study at ASOIU?
More than 1,100 international students from 58 countries, according to the university.
Where do ASOIU students do internships?
At nearly 500 public and private enterprises, including SOCAR and its subsidiaries, AzerGold, Baku Steel Company, Azercell and Azerbaijan Railways.
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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