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Outlook 2027

Outlook 2027: Central Asia edition

Five papers from our editors on what will shape higher education in Central Asia in 2027. Data-led, sourced line by line, and written for the people who run universities.

Richard DaviesPolicy, finance and quality

Central Asia's quality assurance test: Kazakh agency renewals fall due as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan rebuild

Kazakhstan's two EQAR-registered quality agencies face renewal decisions, with listings running to December 2026 and April 2027. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are building accreditation systems, and the institutions most exposed are those that depend on international partners.

31 Dec 2026 End of IAAR's current EQAR registration; renewal outcome pending as of October 2026

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Rachel SmithRecruitment, international and students

From seven to 30: Uzbekistan's foreign university boom and the student demand behind it

Uzbekistan's count of foreign higher education organisations has risen from 7 in 2015/16 to 30 in 2025/26, and the state now funds places at them. The expansion is redrawing student flows across Central Asia, and neighbouring systems are most exposed.

30 Foreign higher education organisations in Uzbekistan, start of 2025/26

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Sarah WilliamsonTeaching, digital and AI, and the academic workforce

English-medium teaching in Central Asia will rise or fall on faculty language and training

Enrolment in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan has grown faster than the evidence on who can teach in English. Institutions that treat English-medium instruction as a faculty development project, not a language switch, will be better placed for 2027.

1.535 million Higher education students in Uzbekistan, start of 2025/26 academic year

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Scott JamesResearch, innovation and industry

Kazakhstan's research spending is rising fast, yet both it and Uzbekistan remain under 0.2% of GDP

Kazakhstan has increased research spending in cash terms and Uzbekistan has merged its innovation ministry into higher education, yet the latest figures put both below 0.2% of GDP. In Kazakhstan the money arriving is targeted, concentrated and competitive, which shapes which universities can build capacity.

0.16% Kazakhstan's R&D spending as a share of GDP, 2024

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Abigail TaylorLeadership, governance, campus and civic role

Fewer institutions, more students: Uzbekistan's growth now runs through governance, not new founders

Uzbekistan began 2025/26 with seven fewer higher education institutions but 7.1% more students, as mergers, financial autonomy and state-led partnerships reshaped the sector. For institutions across Central Asia, governance capacity is becoming the variable that separates winners from the exposed.

215 Uzbek higher education institutions at start of 2025/26, seven fewer than a year earlier

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