Cardiff University signed an agreement with the Qualified Centre of Education Public Foundation (QCEF) to establish its first branch in Astana, thus marking the first presence of a Russell Group University in Kazakhstan, said Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
The meeting was attended by Kazakh Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek, UK Ambassador to Kazakhstan Kathy Leach, Lord Michael German from the UK House of Lords, Cardiff University President Wendy Larner, and QCEF representatives.
Kathy Leach was quick to point out that this partnership brings the total number of international collaborations supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science to 34, a very important milestone. According to her, this underscores the commitment of the government to improve quality in education and position Kazakhstan as one of the leading educational hubs for growing youth populations in Eurasia and South Asia.
According to Minister Nurbek, a new branch from this institution would be able to provide worldwide standards of education in engineering, medicine, and biotechnology. The courses will start next fall.
Cardiff University, recognized for its academic excellence and strong research, is ranked 186th in the QS World University Rankings 2025, 201-250 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, 151-200 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024, and 184th in the Best Global Universities Rankings 2024.
