Kazakhstan's scholarship boost programme ends after five years of steady growth
Kazakhstan's Five-Year Scholarship Increase Program Ends, but Renewal Possible
A five-year program to raise scholarships in Kazakhstan has concluded, though authorities may revive it, Science and Higher Education Minister Sayasat Nurbek announced at a government briefing, as reported by our website.
According to Nurbek, the five-year initiative to increase scholarships officially ended in 2025.
"Over the past five years, we raised scholarships annually by 20–25 percent. As a result, payments have doubled. We are now working with the government to renew the program so that we can continue increasing scholarships each year," Nurbek stated.
The minister clarified that no final decision on further increases has yet been made.
"This cycle has concluded. We will now hold consultations to launch the next five-year phase, but no decision has been taken so far," he noted.
Nurbek added that the minimum scholarship for students (excluding those in teaching programs) stands at around 55,000 tenge, while PhD candidates receive approximately 254,000 tenge per month.
He also emphasized that tuition fees at public universities will be capped, allowing adjustments only for inflation—no more than 10 percent.
Background
Earlier, the Committee for Higher and Postgraduate Education under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education announced the state scholarship amounts for 2026.
As of January 1, the payments are as follows: - Undergraduate students: 52,372 tenge - Teaching majors: 84,000 tenge - Master's students: 117,098 tenge - Doctoral students: 262,500 tenge
Enhanced scholarships are also available: - Students with disabilities: 75 percent higher - Orphans: 30 percent higher - High-achieving students: 15 percent higher
The ministry confirmed that no changes to scholarship types or amounts were introduced in 2026.
