Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University
Қожа Ахмет Ясауи атындағы Халықаралық қазақ-түрік университеті
A Kazakh-Turkish state university in Turkistan that funds students from across the Turkic world to study for free.
- Students
- 10,157
- International
- 14%
- of students
- Founded
- 1991
- QS World Ranking
- 851-900
- 2027 edition
About Ahmet Yassawi University (AYU)
Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University was founded in 1991 on the initiative of Kazakhstan's president Nursultan Nazarbayev and reorganised in 1992 under an intergovernmental agreement between Kazakhstan and Turkey. It is named after the 12th-century Sufi poet Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, whose mausoleum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands in the same city of Turkistan. The university describes itself as the first in Kazakhstan to receive the status of an international higher-education institution.
Its mission is to educate students from Turkic-speaking countries and communities in one place. Teaching is in Kazakh, Turkish, Russian and English across 12 faculties, including medicine, dentistry, engineering, law, theology, philology, economics and management, sports, and art, media and design, plus a preparatory faculty for language study. Its homepage reports about 10,200 students and 957 academic staff, and its history page says it has trained more than 76,000 specialists since opening.
For students from Turkic republics and related communities outside Kazakhstan and Turkey, the deal is distinctive: tuition is free, both governments pay monthly stipends, and the university covers a return trip home each year. It suits students from that region who want a Turkic-language education, and Kazakh students aiming for state grants in medicine, teaching or the humanities.
Why students choose Ahmet Yassawi University (AYU)
Students admitted from Turkic republics and related communities study tuition-free, with monthly stipends from both Kazakhstan and Turkey and one paid return trip home a year.
Kazakhstan's stipend rises to 100,800 tenge a month for medicine, dentistry and teaching students after the preparatory year.
Dormitory places cost 130,000 tenge a year on the Turkistan campus, and dining-hall meals about 1,000-1,500 tenge.
The campus is in Turkistan, next to the UNESCO-listed Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and named the Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World in 2021.
Admissions
2026-27 academic year (2027-28 dates not yet published)
Selectivity
For the Turkic-world route, the university admits about 250 undergraduates a year (200 on full scholarship and 50 on the Turkey quota); its international-students FAQ gives 431 applications for 'this year' without naming the year. Kazakh citizens are admitted on state and Turkish grants or on a fee-paying basis; Turkish citizens are placed through ÖSYM.
Typical entry requirements
| Secondary school diploma (Turkic republics and related communities) | High-school diploma and transcript (or final-year report card), recommendation letter and motivation letter; applicants must be 25 or younger |
|---|---|
| Turkish citizens | Placement through ÖSYM based on the programme's score type |
Deadlines
- Turkic-world scholarship applications (2026-27) Non-binding Passed26 July 2026
Applications opened 16 March 2026; entrance exam 28 July; results 3 August 2026.
- Paid-education applications (2026-27) Non-binding Passed7 August 2026
Applications 4-7 August 2026; results 12 August 2026.
These are the 2026-27 dates. Based on the university's practice, the 2027-28 call for Turkic-world applicants should be announced in March 2027 in four languages.
How to apply
International applicants from the Turkic world apply online at tteadmission.ayu.edu.kz, uploading passport or ID, school diploma or current report card, transcript, a recommendation letter, a motivation letter and any certificates as PDFs. Shortlisted candidates sit the entrance exam, then complete a compulsory one-year preparatory programme in Kazakh and Turkish at the Kentau campus before starting their degree.
What admissions looks for
- A strong secondary-school GPA, which makes up 40% of the admission score.
- Entrance exam performance, worth 50% of the score.
- A motivation letter explaining why you chose Khoja Akhmet Yassawi University (10%).
- For Medicine and Dentistry, a score above 80 out of 100.
Tips for applying to Ahmet Yassawi University (AYU)
- 1 Upload every document as a PDF before the deadline; paper or late applications are not accepted.
- 2 Put real effort into the motivation letter: it carries 10% of the score and is specific to this university.
- 3 Plan for the compulsory preparatory year in Kentau, where dormitory living is mandatory.
- 4 Keep a GPA of at least 2.33 out of 4.00 to hold on to the Kazakh government stipend.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in KZT
Students admitted from Turkic republics and related communities pay no tuition. Kazakhstan pays a monthly stipend of 53,419 tenge in the preparatory year, then 100,800 tenge for medicine, dentistry and teaching or 62,846 tenge for other programmes (minimum GPA 2.33); Turkey adds 28,500 tenge a month for 10 months a year, and the university covers one return trip home each year. Students pay their own accommodation and personal costs.
- Free
- Tuition for Turkic-world scholarship students
- 130,000 tenge per year (rooms for 4-6 students); meals extra, about 1,000-1,500 tenge each in the dining hall
- Dormitory, Turkistan campus
- 60,000 tenge per year (2- and 4-person rooms)
- Dormitory, preparatory year in Kentau
- Up to 100,800 + 28,500 tenge
- Monthly stipends (Kazakhstan + Turkey)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Medicine
The university has trained medical specialists since 1992 and requires a placement score above 80 for Turkic-world applicants.
Dentistry
A dedicated faculty, with the same 80-point placement threshold and the higher Kazakh stipend of 100,800 tenge a month.
Teacher education programmes
Qualify for the higher Kazakh government stipend alongside medicine and dentistry.
Theology
Fits the university's roots in the legacy of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi and its Yassawi Research Institute.
Turkic philology
Taught in a university built for Turkic-speaking students, with a Turkology Research Institute on site.
Research
- Research institutes include the Turkology, Archaeology, Ecology, Natural Science, Eurasian and Yassawi research institutes.
- The university runs a botanical garden research institute and a sustainable development research centre.
- It publishes its own academic journals (AYU Journals).
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Postgraduate Higher Medical Education
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Natural Sciences
- Faculty of Philology
- Faculty of Social and Humanitarian Sciences
- Faculty of Economics and Management
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Theology
- Faculty of Sports
- Faculty of Art, Media and Design
The university's international-students site reports 95.5% employment (no year or method given).
Student life
Most students live on or near the Turkistan campus, where separate men's and women's dormitories each hold about 650 students in rooms of four to six, with reading halls, a library, a dining hall for 400, tennis courts, football and basketball fields and a 24-hour health centre. International students spend their first year at the preparatory school in Kentau, where living in the dormitory is compulsory. The student body mixes Kazakh and Turkish students with scholarship holders from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova and Turkic republics of the Russian Federation.
- Separate dormitories for men and women, each for about 650 students.
- A 24-hour university health centre gives free emergency medicines.
- The university runs its own radio station, Yassawi FM.
- Visa invitations are issued before arrival, and residence permits are arranged within five days with the university's help.
Housing. Turkistan campus dormitories cost 130,000 tenge a year in rooms of 4-6; the Kentau preparatory dormitory costs 60,000 tenge a year.
Location
Turkistan is the capital of Kazakhstan's Turkistan Region, about 160 km north-west of Shymkent near the Syr Darya, on the railway between Kyzylorda and Tashkent. Its best-known landmark is the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Organization of Turkic States named it the Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World in 2021.
Nearest airport: Hazrat Sultan International Airport, Turkistan
Frequently asked questions
Is Ahmet Yassawi University free for international students?
Students admitted from Turkic republics and related communities pay no tuition and receive monthly stipends from Kazakhstan and Turkey, but they pay for their own accommodation and personal costs.
How are international applicants selected?
Applicants are scored out of 100: 40% school GPA, 10% motivation letter and 50% entrance exam. You need more than 50 points, or more than 80 for Medicine and Dentistry.
When is the application deadline?
For 2026-27, scholarship applications ran from 16 March to 26 July 2026, with the exam on 28 July; paid-education applications ran from 4 to 7 August 2026.
Is there a preparatory year?
Yes. International scholarship students complete a compulsory one-year preparatory programme in Kazakh and Turkish at the Kentau campus, living in its dormitory.
How much does accommodation cost?
Dormitories cost 130,000 tenge a year in Turkistan and 60,000 tenge a year in Kentau; dining-hall meals are about 1,000-1,500 tenge.
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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