M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University

M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan University was founded in 1937 in the city of Petropavl (Petropavlovsk) and is the largest and leading public university in the North Kazakhstan region. Its official website is ku.edu.kz.

In 2026 the university entered the QS World University Rankings for the first time, placing in the 1401+ band. In the QS Asia rankings it is positioned in the top 30–40 among Central Asian universities. As the only major higher education institution in the region, it plays an important role in education, agriculture, medicine, engineering, and the social sciences.

Approximately 6,500–8,000 students study at the university. It offers more than 75 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programmes (some sources indicate over 100 programmes). The main fields of study include pedagogy, medicine, agricultural technologies, engineering and digital technologies, mathematics and natural sciences, economics, law, history, and language and literature. The university runs dual-degree and joint programmes with the University of Arizona in areas such as information systems, biotechnology, business, and pedagogy. International students come from Russia, China, Mongolia, and other countries.

M. Kozybayev University serves as the educational and human resources training centre of North Kazakhstan and is particularly noted for programmes that support regional development.