Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan

According to the results of 2025, higher education institutions of Uzbekistan have further strengthened their positions in prestigious international rankings. In particular, seven universities from Uzbekistan were included in the QS World University Rankings. The National Research University “Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers”, the National University of Uzbekistan, and Tashkent State Technical University were included in the TOP-1000 list.

In addition, four universities of Uzbekistan were ranked in the Times Higher Education ranking, while in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025, 59 universities from Uzbekistan were listed, with 12 entering the world’s TOP-1000 universities, making Uzbekistan the absolute leader in the Central Asia and Caucasus region.

According to the QS Subject Rankings 2025, five universities from Uzbekistan were included among the world’s top 1000 universities in eight academic disciplines.

The strong presence of Uzbek universities in such prestigious international rankings is a logical outcome of the large-scale reforms implemented in the country’s higher education system in recent years.

This year, in order to efficiently consolidate educational resources, reduce overlapping academic programs, utilize the potential of academic staff more effectively, and expand opportunities for training competitive specialists aligned with regional labor market needs, 12 new higher education institutions were established on the basis of 29 institutions with similar regional and specialization profiles.

As a result, 207 higher education institutions currently operate in Uzbekistan, including 32 foreign universities and their branches, 74 non-state universities, and 101 state higher education institutions.

Access to higher education has reached an entirely new level. Today, the number of students studying at higher education institutions has reached 1.7 million, which is six times higher compared to 2017. The gross enrollment rate in higher education has exceeded 44 percent.

In 2025, special attention was paid to the introduction of modern forms of education. The number of higher education institutions providing distance learning programs increased from 21 to 52.

Starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, master’s degree programs will also be offered in evening and distance learning formats.

Support for women continued consistently as one of the priority directions of state policy. For women without higher education who obtained recommendations from the Committee on Family and Women, the number of additional state grants for full-time bachelor’s programs was doubled from 2,000 to 4,000 for the 2025/2026 academic year.

For women with at least five years of work experience but without higher education, the admission quota on a tuition-fee basis was increased fivefold from 500 to 2,500 places.

In addition, the tuition fees of 11,161 women studying in master’s programs at state universities on a contract basis were covered, amounting to 122.7 billion UZS.

Supporting socially vulnerable groups also remained a priority. Within the framework of 10 percent additional state grants, 3,550 grant places were allocated for children from families included in the “Register of Low-Income Families” for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Furthermore, starting from the 2025/2026 academic year, applicants who did not gain admission based on entrance exam results were given the opportunity to choose up to five additional study programs with compatible subject combinations.

Cooperation with international and non-state higher education institutions was expanded. 1,320 state grant quotas were allocated for foreign and non-state universities operating in the country.

A differentiated redistribution mechanism for state education grants was also introduced in higher education institutions.

Significant work was carried out to introduce international education quality standards. Agreements were reached with nine foreign universities ranked in the TOP-500, and admission quotas were approved for 17 joint educational programs.

In addition, 40 academic programs at 11 universities received international accreditation.

More than 14,000 senior-level academic programs in state universities were improved based on educational programs of TOP-300 foreign universities.

As a result, the number of international students studying in Uzbekistan reached 20,000.

Special attention was also paid to enhancing the capacity of academic staff. 6,139 professors and teachers upgraded their qualifications abroad, while 3,859 foreign professors and lecturers were involved in the educational process.

Important steps were taken to promote youth employment and entrepreneurship. Branches of the “Kelajakka qadam” center of Uzmilliybank were established in 80 universities across 14 regions of the country. Through these centers, 4,529 business projects of graduates were financed with preferential loans totaling 202.1 billion UZS.

To support talented youth, a Presidential Grant competition was held among students who achieved the highest scores in entrance examinations for full-time bachelor’s programs, and 23 students were awarded this prestigious grant.

To improve student services, Registrar Offices at higher education institutions provided 737,066 services across six categories.

Additionally, 22 student dormitories with a total capacity of 12,084 places were constructed and commissioned in 20 higher education institutions through public-private partnership mechanisms and university funds.

At the same time, 60 corruption-related crimes were recorded in the first half of 2025, including cases involving pedagogical staff of certain educational institutions. Appropriate legal measures were taken by competent authorities against those responsible.

Overall, the large-scale reforms implemented in the higher education system throughout 2025 have contributed to qualitative transformations in the sector, ensuring equal and fair access to education, training competitive specialists in accordance with international standards, and enabling young people to fully realize their intellectual potential.

The achieved results clearly demonstrate that reforms aimed at modernizing the higher education system, developing science and innovation, and creating a strong intellectual foundation for the development of New Uzbekistan will continue consistently and sustainably.