Kazakh National Agrarian Research University
Қазақ ұлттық аграрлық зерттеу университеті
Kazakhstan's first agricultural institute, now a farm, veterinary and water research university in central Almaty.
- Students
- 7,096
- Tuition
- KZT 1M
- From · 2025-26
- Founded
- 1929
- QS World Ranking
- 781-790
- 2027 edition
About KazNARU
KazNARU brings together two of Kazakhstan's oldest institutions: the Veterinary Institute founded in Alma-Ata in 1929, which the university calls the first agricultural and second higher education institution in Kazakhstan, and the Kazakh Agricultural Institute founded in 1930. They merged in 1996 as the Kazakh State Agrarian University, which became a national university in 2001 and was granted research-university status in 2020. It now reports under the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the National Agrarian Scientific and Educational Center.
The university's home page lists 7,096 students and 530 teaching staff. Teaching is organised in the faculties of Agrobiology, Veterinary and Zooengineering, Forestry and Land Resources, Water Resources and IT, and Engineering and Technology, plus a Higher School of Business and Law, and it hosts a branch of Uzbekistan's TIIAME National Research University. An International Agrotechnological Hub groups research institutes, laboratories and international centres, including a Water Hub with 11 laboratories and a vaccinology centre that developed the NARUVAX-C19 COVID-19 vaccine candidates.
KazNARU suits students aiming at agronomy, veterinary science, food technology, water management or agricultural engineering who want to study in Almaty. English-taught options include programmes run through its Institute for Collaboration with Wageningen University.
Why students choose KazNARU
Plant Science and Technology and Veterinary Food Safety and Technology are taught in English through the Institute for Collaboration with Wageningen University.
The university reports 11 double-degree programmes with partners in the USA, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, such as a water resources master's with Warsaw University of Natural Sciences.
Each faculty has its own student house, with online room allocation, security turnstiles and CCTV.
Fees for 2025-26 bachelor's students from outside the CIS were 1,000,000-1,320,000 KZT a year, published in the university's price list.
Admissions
2027-28 entry
Selectivity
KazNARU does not publish an acceptance rate. State grants are awarded on Unified National Testing (UNT) scores; the minimum to enter the grant competition is 65 points, or 50 for Agriculture and Bioresources and Veterinary Medicine and 75 for Law. Foreign citizens on paid places are admitted after an interview.
Typical entry requirements
| Kazakh secondary education (UNT) | At least 65 UNT points for the grant competition (50 for agriculture and veterinary programmes, 75 for law), with at least 5 points in History of Kazakhstan and each profile subject and 3 in reading and mathematical literacy |
|---|---|
| Foreign citizens (paid places) | Secondary school certificate and an interview with the admissions committee; admission runs through the calendar year, with enrolment 5 days before the next academic period |
Deadlines
KazNARU admits foreign citizens on paid places throughout the calendar year, with enrolment 5 days before an academic period. Local executive body grant documents were due 5-10 August and dormitory applications 20-31 August in 2025; 2027 dates had not been published when checked.
How to apply
Kazakh applicants submit documents to the Admission Committee on Abay Avenue, Almaty, with their UNT certificate. Foreign citizens apply to the Admission Committee for a paid place and are interviewed; the International Office then handles invitations, visas and migration registration. Foreign citizens, including ethnic Kazakhs without Kazakh citizenship, can also apply for international state grants online through ENIC Kazakhstan.
What admissions looks for
- UNT scores above the grant thresholds for Kazakh applicants: 65 in general, 50 for agriculture and veterinary programmes, 75 for law.
- For foreign applicants, a successful interview with the admissions committee.
- For grant schemes such as Qazaqstan Halqyna, applicants from rural schools and socially vulnerable families.
- Complete documents, including the 075-U medical certificate with a chest X-ray.
Tips for applying to KazNARU
- 1 Check which price list applies to you: KazNARU publishes separate fees for Kazakh citizens, CIS citizens and those from outside the CIS.
- 2 If you are a foreign citizen or an ethnic Kazakh abroad, look at the international state grant on enic-kazakhstan.edu.kz before paying fees.
- 3 Arrive only once your study visa starts, and report to the International Office within 3 calendar days of entering Kazakhstan for migration registration.
- 4 Apply for a student-house place online through AIS Platonus as soon as the window opens (20-31 August in 2025).
Costs & financial aid
2025-26 · figures in KZT
Kazakh citizens compete for state and local government grants on UNT scores, and the Qazaqstan Halqyna fund offers grants to rural and socially vulnerable students. Foreign citizens, including ethnic Kazakhs without Kazakh citizenship, can apply for international state grants via ENIC Kazakhstan. The price list notes discounts in exceptional cases of 20% for orphans and 15% for children of single-parent families and children with disabilities.
- 20% of tuition
- Discount for orphans (paid places)
- 15% of tuition
- Discount for single-parent families and children with disabilities
- 30,000 KZT a month
- Dormitory fee for foreign students (2025-26, published for citizens of Turkmenistan)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters (credit system)
Veterinary Medicine
Continues the 1929 Veterinary Institute, the university's founding school; 1,320,000 KZT a year for students from outside the CIS.
Plant Science and Technology (English-taught)
Run through the Institute for Collaboration with Wageningen University since 2020-21.
Veterinary Food Safety and Technology (English-taught)
The second Wageningen-linked English programme.
Water Resources Management
Backed by the Water Hub research centre with 11 laboratories, and a double-degree master's with Warsaw University of Natural Sciences.
Agronomy and Fruit and Vegetable Growing
Rooted in the 1930 Kazakh Agricultural Institute, whose alumni include apple scientist Aymak Djangaliev.
Agricultural Machinery and Technology
Engineering programmes in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology; the university also set up a Kazakh-Belarusian Agro-Engineering Innovation Center in 2019.
Research
- The International Research Center for Vaccinology developed the NARUVAX-C19 and NARUVAX-C19/Nano COVID-19 vaccine candidates with Kazakh and foreign partners.
- The International Agrotechnological Hub includes 4 research institutes, 9 research laboratories and 5 international research centres, including a Water Hub with 11 laboratories.
- A reference laboratory certifies milk and dairy quality for rural producers, and a Kazakh-Netherlands centre planted an intensive orchard using Dutch technology.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Agrobiology
- Faculty of Veterinary and Zooengineering
- Faculty of Forestry and Land Resources
- Faculty of Water Resources and Information Technology
- Faculty of Engineering and Technology
- Higher School of Business and Law
- Branch of TIIAME National Research University
Student life
Each faculty has its own student house, from 'Bolashak' for Engineering and Technology to 'Zhalyn' and 'Akbota' for Veterinary and Zooengineering, with places allocated online through AIS Platonus and centralised security. Clubs include a debate club, the Dostyq Assembly, pop and traditional singing circles, KVN comedy, dance groups, a literary club, a youth labour brigade and a volunteer public-order patrol, alongside a Student Government Council and a student ombudsman. A medical centre, psychological support service and Model UN add to campus life.
- Faculty-based student houses with online room allocation.
- Debate, singing, dance and KVN clubs and the Dostyq Assembly.
- Model UN at KazNARU and an International Summer School.
- A confidential psychological support service, online or in person.
Housing. Places in faculty student houses are allocated online through AIS Platonus; priority groups include students with disabilities, orphans, first-year and grant students and ethnic Kazakh returnees (kandas), and foreign students paid 30,000 KZT a month in 2025-26 according to the published rate.
Location
Almaty is Kazakhstan's largest city, with more than two million residents, set in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains at 700-900 metres. It was Kazakhstan's capital until 1997 and is a city of republican significance. KazNARU's main building is on Abay Avenue in the city centre, and Almaty International Airport is the main international gateway into the country.
Nearest airport: Almaty International Airport (ALA)
Notable alumni
- AD Aymak DjangalievPomologist who helped identify Kazakhstan's wild apple forests as the origin of the domesticated apple; graduated from the Kazakh Agricultural Institute in 1935
- OB Omirbek BaigeldiChair of the Senate of Kazakhstan 1996-1999; livestock science graduate (1962)
- AB Aida BalaevaMinister of Culture and Information and Deputy Prime Minister; law degree (2007)
- AM Askar MyrzakhmetovFormer Minister of Agriculture and regional akim; KazNARU graduate
- ÄB Äli BektaevSenator for Turkistan Region; mechanical engineering graduate of the Faculty of Agricultural Mechanization (1984)
- EO Eduard OgayCEO and chairman of mining company Kazakhmys (2001-2022); economics and management graduate
Frequently asked questions
How much does KazNARU cost for international students?
For new entrants in 2025-26, bachelor's fees were 1,000,000-1,320,000 KZT a year for students from outside the CIS and 1,000,000 KZT for CIS citizens; Kazakh citizens paid 800,000 KZT.
Does KazNARU teach in English?
Some programmes: Plant Science and Technology and Veterinary Food Safety and Technology are taught in English through the Institute for Collaboration with Wageningen University.
How do foreign students get admitted to KazNARU?
Foreign citizens on paid places are admitted after an interview with the admissions committee, throughout the calendar year. International state grants are applied for via enic-kazakhstan.edu.kz.
What UNT score do I need for a grant at KazNARU?
At least 65 points in general, 50 for Agriculture and Bioresources and Veterinary Medicine, and 75 for Law.
Does KazNARU have dormitories?
Yes. Each faculty has its own student house; places are requested online, and foreign students paid 30,000 KZT a month in 2025-26 at the published rate.
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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