National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
Mirzo Ulugʻbek nomidagi Oʻzbekiston Milliy universiteti
Uzbekistan's oldest university, founded in 1918, and still the country's reference point for science and humanities.
- Students
- 19,704
- International
- 4%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 19.3:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- UZS 8.1M
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1918
About NUUz
The National University of Uzbekistan was founded in Tashkent on 21 April 1918 as the Turkestan People's University, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Uzbekistan and Central Asia. It was renamed several times, as Central Asian State University and later Tashkent State University, before taking its current name after independence. The university says it has trained about 200,000 specialists and played a leading role in founding the Uzbek Academy of Sciences.
Teaching is organised into faculties covering mathematics, applied mathematics and intelligent technologies, physics, chemistry, biology and ecology, geology, geography, economics, history, social sciences, foreign philology, journalism and Uzbek philology, and taekwondo and sports. Degrees follow Uzbekistan's credit-module system, aligned with ECTS: 60 credits a year and 240 for a four-year bachelor's. For international applicants it lists 56 bachelor's and 59 master's programmes.
NUUz is strongest in the sciences and humanities that built Uzbek academia: the university counts 29 academicians and more than 150 Doctors of Science on its staff and credits its scholars with founding schools in probability theory, differential equations, chemistry and nuclear physics. It suits students who want a broad, traditional research university in the capital at a low fee, and who are comfortable studying mainly in Uzbek or Russian.
Why students choose NUUz
It is Uzbekistan's oldest and principal university, whose standards and curricula are used as a model by other Uzbek institutions.
Fee-paying bachelor's places cost 8.1-12.4 million UZS for the first year in 2026-27, and the government's basic monthly stipend is paid to state-grant students.
Students can live on the Yoshlik student campus, where 11 residence buildings house about 5,600 students; foreign students paid $50 a month in 2025-26.
The university cooperates with more than 100 institutions abroad, including Moscow State University, Seoul National University and California State University.
Admissions
2027-28 entry
Selectivity
NUUz does not publish an acceptance rate. Uzbek applicants compete for state-grant and fee-paying (contract) places on national entrance test scores, with a pass mark per programme; foreign applicants are admitted after an online application and interview.
Typical entry requirements
| Uzbek school leaving certificate | Entrance test score above the programme's pass mark for a state grant or fee-paying place; applicants up to 4.05 points below the contract pass mark (and at least 56.7 points) can apply for a 'super contract' at 3.5 to 8 times the base fee |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary school certificate | Certificate of secondary education, passport, photo, reference and health certificate uploaded as PDFs, followed by an interview; for 2026-27, foreign applicants scoring 41-55 (below the 56 minimum) could apply for a tiered 'super' contract |
Deadlines
Dates for 2027-28 entry had not been published when this profile was checked. For 2025-26, foreign applicants' documents were accepted from 1 June to 30 June; for 2026-27, applications for the tiered contract closed on 30 September 2026. Uzbek applicants follow the national admissions calendar set each summer.
How to apply
Uzbek applicants apply through the national admissions portals (my.uzbmb.uz or my.gov.uz) and sit the national entrance tests. Foreign applicants register at isa.nuu.uz, upload documents, attend an online interview, receive an invitation letter, sign the contract, and then receive visa support through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What admissions looks for
- A national entrance test score above the pass mark for your chosen programme (Uzbek applicants).
- For foreign applicants, a complete document set and a successful interview in the chosen field.
- For master's programmes, B1-level English or Russian certified by a language certificate.
- Creative or professional exams for programmes that require them, such as sports programmes.
Tips for applying to NUUz
- 1 Foreign applicants should register early at isa.nuu.uz: the interview comes only after all documents are approved.
- 2 Check which language your programme runs in; contract templates are issued in Uzbek-English and Uzbek-Russian versions.
- 3 If you narrowly miss the pass mark, look out for the super-contract round, which lets near-miss applicants enrol at a higher fee.
- 4 After arriving on a student visa, register your temporary address with the university's foreign students office within 3 days.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in UZS
Top-scoring Uzbek applicants receive state grants (free places) and a monthly stipend; contract students pay the annual fee. Named scholarships include the Presidential, Mirzo Ulugbek and Alisher Navoi scholarships. NUUz does not currently publish a fee schedule for foreign students: the fee file linked from its international admissions site returned 'not found' when checked in September 2026. Its sample foreign-student bachelor's contracts are still for 2024-25 (for example US$1,200 a year for Mathematics and US$1,300 for Artificial Intelligence), so ask admissions@nuu.uz for the 2027-28 rate.
- 517,880 UZS; 621,456 UZS for 'excellent' students
- Basic monthly stipend (state-grant students)
- $50 a month
- Dormitory fee for foreign students (2025-26)
- 3.5 to 8 times the base contract fee
- Super-contract multiplier (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Two semesters a year (credit-module system, 30 credits per semester)
Mathematics
Home to scientific schools in probability theory and differential equations founded by academicians such as T. A. Sarimsakov and M. S. Salahiddinov.
Artificial Intelligence
A newer bachelor's programme taught by the Department of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
Physics
Includes departments of nuclear physics and astronomy, photonics and semiconductor physics, continuing the school of cosmic-ray physicist S. A. Azimov.
Law (Yurisprudensiya)
One of the highest-fee programmes (12,375,000 UZS in year one), with the steepest super-contract multiplier.
World Economy and International Economic Relations
Taught in the Faculty of Economics at the top contract rate.
Journalism
Abdulla Oripov, who wrote the lyrics of Uzbekistan's national anthem, graduated in journalism here in 1963.
Research
- The university credits its scientists with more than 50 recognised scientific schools and 107 academicians over its history.
- It runs 32 scientific-educational laboratories and 3 scientific experimental centres.
- The Rare Manuscripts Museum holds manuscripts from the 16th to 20th centuries, including a copy of Sharafiddin Ali Yazdi's Zafarnoma.
- Its zoology museum holds a collection of 23,500 specimens gathered over more than 100 years.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Mathematics
- Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Intelligent Technologies
- Faculty of Physics
- Faculty of Chemistry
- Faculty of Biology and Ecology
- Faculty of Geology and Engineering Geology
- Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Systems
- Faculty of Economics
- Faculty of History
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- Faculty of Foreign Philology
- Faculty of Journalism and Uzbek Philology
Student life
NUUz is based in Talabalar Shaharchasi (Student Town) in Tashkent's Almazar district, where the main teaching buildings sit alongside the Yoshlik residential campus. Its 11 residence buildings have 5,000 places and house about 5,600 students, with shared kitchens and bathrooms on each floor, study halls, and a student council that meets every two weeks. Students can join sports clubs in the residence gym, language, computer and art clubs, eco-activist and Green University projects, and the university's taekwondo and sports faculty gives sport a strong presence.
- Yoshlik campus: 11 residence buildings, about 5,600 residents.
- Five university museums, including rare manuscripts, archaeology and ethnology, zoology and geology.
- Student council and floor captains in every residence.
- A dedicated Faculty of Taekwondo and Sports Activities with programmes in rugby, taekwondo, kurash, judo and freestyle wrestling.
Housing. University residences on the Yoshlik campus have 5,000 places; foreign bachelor's and master's students paid $50 a month in 2025-26.
Location
Tashkent is Uzbekistan's capital and largest city. The university occupies its own student town on University Street in the Almazar district, north-west of the centre, with teaching buildings, residences and sports facilities together. International students enter on a student visa arranged through the university and must register their address within three days of arrival.
Nearest airport: Tashkent International Airport (TAS)
Notable alumni
- RM Ruslan MedzhitovYale immunologist and member of the US National Academy of Sciences; BSc from Tashkent State University
- AO Abdulla OripovPoet and author of the lyrics of the State Anthem of Uzbekistan; graduated in journalism in 1963
- EV Erkin VohidovPoet and publisher; graduated in philology in 1960
- OS Ozod SharafiddinovLiterary scholar and critic; graduated from the Faculty of Philology in 1951
- SA Shavkat AyupovMathematician, President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan from 2024; graduated in 1974
- TA Tamara AbaevaHistorian specialising in oriental studies
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to study at the National University of Uzbekistan?
For 2026-27, first-year contract fees for full-time bachelor's programmes range from 8,140,000 UZS to 12,375,000 UZS a year, depending on the field. NUUz has not published current fees for foreign students (its 2024-25 sample contracts showed US$1,200-1,300 a year), so confirm your fee with admissions@nuu.uz.
How do international students apply to NUUz?
Register and upload your documents at isa.nuu.uz, attend an online interview, and, if successful, receive an invitation letter and contract, after which the university requests your visa.
Does NUUz have dormitories for international students?
Yes. The Yoshlik campus has 11 residence buildings, and foreign students paid $50 a month in 2025-26.
What is the minimum score for international applicants?
For 2026-27 entry, the minimum was 56 points; applicants scoring 41-55 could apply for a tiered (higher-fee) contract.
Is NUUz ranked internationally?
It is in the 801-850 band of the QS World University Rankings 2027 and the 1201-1500 band of the THE World University Rankings 2026.
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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