ADMISSIONS/Undergraduate

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Undergraduate programs

Admission to Nazarbayev University programs is based on the principle of meritocracy, which implies the selection of applicants on the basis of their academic achievements, providing everyone with equal opportunities at admission, and facilitating the selection of the most promising and talented students without the influence of external factors. Thus, the requirements for admission to the programs of Nazarbayev University are the same for all applicants regardless of citizenship, social status, the status of the educational organization, the graduate of which the applicant is, etc.

Please check the deadline depending on the category in “Important deadlines” section. Nazarbayev University do not consider *TOEFL iBT Home Edition, Duolingo test results.

There are several different categories of applicants to Undergraduate programs:

1. SAT/ACT applicants;
2. NUET applicants;
3. A-level/NIS Grade 12 Certificates graduates;
4. IB Diploma Programme final year students or graduates;
5. Winners of the International and/or Republican Olympiads;
6. NUFYP graduates;

****Mid-year intake on fee-paying basis.

More details are available on the NU website: https://nu.edu.kz/admissions

You can check the criterias of each category in the Admission Policy and Procedures to the undergraduate program of the autonomous organization of education Nazarbayev University.

To participate in the competition of the undergraduate program applicants, except NUFYP graduates, apply on the admissions portal (https://admissions.nu.edu.kz/wps/portal).

All the documents above must be uploaded to the applicant’s personal account. In the absence or mismatch of one or more documents, the applicant is not allowed to participate in the competition.

Here are the links that might be useful to read:

Selection process and enrollment: https://nu.edu.kz/admissions/typesofstudy/undergraduate
Funding opportunities: https://nu.edu.kz/admissions/formoffinance
Glossary: https://nu.edu.kz/admissions/typesofstudy/undergraduate

Minimum entry requirements:

IELTS – 6.5 overall (6.0 in each section) OR TOEFL iBT** – 79 (reading – 13, listening – 12, speaking – 18, writing – 21) and above;
SAT Reasoning Test – 1240 or ACT – 26 composite score and above;
Interview is not required.

*SAT/ACT test results are valid if their results do not expire by the 1st of August of the relevant academic year to which Applicants are applying. Within this admission competition, the SAT and ACT certificates expiration period is two years.
*SAT/ACT certificates are considered without superscoring.
**Only digital SAT test is considered in the competition.
More details are available on the NU website: https://nu.edu.kz/admissions/typesofstudy/undergraduate

List of the documents for online registration:

Application form;

Scan copy of passport or national ID, or birth certificate for applicants under the age of 16;
School graduates - scan notarized copy of a nationally recognized certificate stating completion of a secondary school or college with transcript or its foreign equivalent. Current final year student - a certificate from educational institution according to the sample in personal account;
Motivation letter in English;
A valid electronic SAT Reasoning Test certificate (must be valid and passed no more than 3 years ago at the moment of online document submission) or ACT certificate (electronic or paper versions (with the subsequent provision of an official electronic certificate, and sending electronic SAT / ACT results through the College Board/ACT). In case the applicant provides several valid SAT Reasoning Test certificates, the Superscoring will be applied (using the highest scores across all examination sections of the test to obtain the best score);
A valid official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (no more than 2 years from the date of issue of the document), valid at the time of document submission, with a subsequent obligation to send electronic IELTS/TOEFL results through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES.

All the documents above must be uploaded to the applicant’s personal account.In the absence or mismatch of one or more documents, the applicant is not allowed to participate in the competition.

Minimum entry requirements:

IELTS – 6.5 overall (6.0 in each section) OR TOEFL iBT* – 79 (reading– 13, listening – 12, speaking – 18, writing – 21) and above;
NUET - 120 minimum total score and 50, 50 Minimum passing scores per subject (Mathematics, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving);
Interview is not required.

List of the documents for online registration:

Application form;
Scan copy of passport or national ID, or birth certificate for applicants under the age of 16;
School graduates -Scan notarized copy of nationally recognized certificate stating completion of a secondary school or college with transcript or its foreign equivalent. Current final year student - a certificate from educational institution according to the sample in personal account;
Motivation letter in English;
A valid official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (no more than 2 years from the date of issue of the document), valid at the time of document submission, with a subsequent obligation to send electronic IELTS/TOEFL results through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES.

All the documents above must be uploaded to the applicant’s personal account. In the absence or mismatch of one or more documents, the applicant is not allowed to participate in the competition.

NUET (Nazarbayev University Entrance Test) – test that evaluates academic training for studying at the University.
NUET is held in 2 subject sections - Mathematics and Critical Thinking & Problem Solving.
Number of questions – 60.
Test content – multiple-choice questions.
Test duration – 120 minutes. Minimum passing score – 120 in total for 2 subjects, while minimum passing score for each of the subjects shall not be less than 50.
Test results are available in 6 weeks in a Personal account.
The number of tasks and duration of the entry examination are subject for change by Test administrators.
Information about access to the entry examination is placed in the applicant’s Personal account.
Applicants are informed about examination date and venue, information on format, as well as required documents and Rules of conduct during the examination via email one week prior to the exams.
Examination schedule is published in the “Important dates” section.
If a violation of rules or conditions of passing the test occurs, the applicant's results are cancelled. In this case, the applicant is excluded from the competition. Disqualified applicants will not be able to enroll to NU in the future.
There is no appeal procedure.
NUET for all applicants is free of charge.

Minimum entry requirements:

IELTS – no less than 6.5 overall (6.0 in each sub-score) OR TOEFL iBT** – 79 (reading – 13, listening – 12, speaking – 18, writing – 21);
A-level/NIS 12 Grade Certificates - not less than ABB for any subjects;
Interview is not required;

*Only A-level/NIS Grade 12 Certificate holders who have the final results of A-level/NIS Grade 12 Certificate by the deadline of application period can participate in the competition under this category (Within this admission competition, A-level and NIS grade 12 Certificate expiration period is two years). Certificates of 2022 and 2023 are considered in the competition.

**A-level/NIS Grade 12 Certificate holders also may choose to participate in the competition by the one of the following categories: “SAT/ACT applicants” or “NUET applicants” or "Winners of International or/and Republican Subject Olympiads" (see the minimum requirements for these categories on the website).

List of the documents for online registration:

Application form;
Scan copy of passport or national ID, or birth certificate for applicants under the age of 16;
NIS graduates - scan notarized copy of the NIS Grade 12 Certificate with final grades and scan notarized copy of high school diploma with transcript;

Current final year student - a certificate from educational institution according to the sample in personal account of applicant;
A-level graduates - scan notarized copy of A-level Certificate, scan notarized copy of certificate stating completion of school;

Motivation letter in English;
Electronic copy of a nationally recognized certificate stating completion of school;
A valid official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (no more than 2 years from the date of issue of the document), valid at the time of document submission, with a subsequent obligation to send electronic IELTS/TOEFL results through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES.

All the documents above must be uploaded to the applicant’s personal account.
In the absence or mismatch of one or more documents, the applicant is not allowed to participate in the competition.

Step 1.
Create your personal account
Register on the www.admissions.nu.edu.kz portal to create a Personal Account. Read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.

Step2.
Complete your Application Form and attach required documents listed in the
section “Application requirements”.

Step 3.
Pay an application fee
The application fee is paid online via your personal account with a bank card.
The amount to pay is 10 000 tenge. All application fees are non-refundable.

Step 4.
Finish the registration process
Finish the registration process by pressing the “Submit application” button. After submission applicants can’t change their applications.

Step 5.
Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates
Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates in your personal account in section "Upload IELTS/TOEFL" and fill up required information about the certificate.
The tests must be sent to the University address via the test administrator using the code (Institutional Code) of Nazarbayev University.
· Nazarbayev University (through IELTS TRF Verification Service) – for IELTS
· 6762 – for TOEFL iBT
· 7915 – for SAT
· 5521 – for ACT

Further steps
Check your e-mail for notifications from the NU Admissions Department and your personal account to learn about your application status. If you experience any difficulties with the registration or online application, please contact info_admissions@nu.edu.kz. Refer to your IIN and/or Applicant ID while sending us your requests.