Education in Kazakhstan: school stages, the UNT and state grants
A factual overview of Kazakh schooling, the Unified National Testing, the competition for state grants and the Bolashak scholarship for study abroad.
In short
Kazakhstan has a state school system with instruction in Kazakh and Russian, and a national test for university entry called the UNT, the Unified National Testing. The UNT has been used since the middle of the first decade of this century. Its results decide admission and, above all, the competition for state-funded places, which Kazakh students call grants. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is responsible for universities, and the Ministry of Education for schools.
School stages
Official sources describe general education as primary school, basic secondary school and general secondary school. In the usual description, primary school covers the first four grades, basic school runs to grade nine, and the upper stage covers grades ten and eleven. A plan to move to twelve years of schooling has been discussed for years and has been postponed several times, so the number of years should be checked in current official documents. After grade nine, pupils can continue in the upper stage or move to a college for technical and vocational education. Schools teach in Kazakh or Russian, and some schools also teach in other languages for ethnic communities.
Special schools exist for gifted pupils. The Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools are a network that teaches science and mathematics subjects with English as a language of instruction in higher grades, and admission to them is through its own tests.
The UNT
The UNT is the main route into bachelor programmes. A candidate takes a combined test with three compulsory parts and two profile subjects chosen to fit the planned degree:
- History of Kazakhstan: a compulsory part.
- Reading literacy: a compulsory part testing understanding of texts.
- Mathematical literacy: a compulsory part testing everyday mathematical reasoning.
- Profile subjects: two subjects chosen from official pairs, for example mathematics with physics, biology with chemistry, or world history with geography. Other pairs exist for languages, law and computing.
Applicants for creative specialities take a shorter version. The National Testing Centre organises the exam and publishes the format, dates and rules for each year. Because the format has changed several times since it began, rely on the current announcement for details such as the length of the session and the number of tasks.
Grants and admission
Universities in Kazakhstan are public or private. After the UNT, applicants compete for state grants, which pay tuition at public and some other universities, and the competition is based on the results and the chosen programme. Those who do not win a grant may study on a paid basis. Some universities add their own creative or professional tests for specialities such as architecture, art and journalism. Nazarbayev University, which teaches in English, and a few other institutions have their own admission procedures with an English language requirement.
For study abroad, the Bolashak presidential scholarship, started in the early 1990s, funds talented students and professionals at universities overseas, and recipients commit to work in Kazakhstan afterwards. The conditions have been revised over the years, so read the programme page.
Studying in Kazakhstan
Many students sit the UNT in Kazakh or Russian, and the language of the exam follows the language of schooling. Cities with major universities include Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Shymkent and Oral. Students from other countries can apply with recognised school certificates.
A study plan for the UNT:
- Start from the programme you want. The two profile subjects depend on it, so choose them before you plan your months.
- Learn the history of Kazakhstan through a timeline of periods, from the Kazakh Khanate to independence, and add the main personalities and dates to flashcards.
- Train reading literacy with short texts under time pressure. Find the main idea, the author's purpose and the connection between paragraphs.
- Practise mathematical literacy with real-life tasks such as tariffs, loans and measurements, which need careful reading more than advanced formulas.
- Take full mock sessions in one sitting to build endurance, because the test is long, and record your errors by subject.
- Use the last weeks to repeat weak profile topics and keep a regular sleep schedule.
English practice also helps students who aim at programmes taught in English or at scholarships abroad.
Preparing with GetMyMockTest
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- UNT Kazakhstan: practice questions in English in the style of the national university entrance test.
- IELTS, TOEFL, SAT and IB Diploma: free English-language practice for students who plan to study abroad or follow an international curriculum.
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