Nazarbayev University completes programme accreditations

QAA has published the reports of International Programme Accreditation reviews which evaluated provision in MA Multilingual Education, MSc Educational Leadership and PhD in Education delivered by Nazarbayev University's Graduate School of Education in Kazakhstan.

The review visits took place on 3-6 November 2024 and were conducted by a team of three independent reviewers.

Founded in Astana in 2010, Nazarbayev University comprises eight schools offering both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes: the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences; the School of Sciences and Humanities; the School of Medicine; the School of Mining and Geosciences; the Graduate School of Business; the Graduate School of Public Policy; the Centre for Preparatory Studies; and the Graduate School of Education. Nazarbayev University successfully completed its International Quality Review (IQR) and was awarded global quality accreditation by QAA in August 2025.

Originally a Centre for Educational Policy, the Graduate School of Education was established in 2012. Its development was supported by working in partnership with the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education and the University of Pennsylvania, which provided advice and quality assurance for the development and subsequent implementation of the programmes under review.

International Programme Accreditation is a process which benchmarks provision against international quality assurance standards set out in Part 1 of the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG).

The review team concluded that these three programmes offered by Nazarbayev University meet all 10 of the internal quality assurance standards in the ESG and therefore may be granted QAA's International Programme Accreditation. 

The review team made, in total, two cross-programme recommendations and two programme-specific recommendations. These recommendations are of a desirable rather than essential nature and are proposed to enable the institution to build on existing practice which is operating satisfactorily but which could be improved or enhanced. 

The team also identified a number of examples of good practice shared across this area of provision:

• the systematic and comprehensive involvement of students in quality assurance and enhancement;
  
• extensive engagement with external stakeholders and alumni, ensuring meaningful involvement by them in key quality processes;
  
• the implementation and systematic adoption by staff of pre- and post-moderation of assessment, and the awareness that students have of this process;
  
• a culture of integrating the student voice, and the open, supportive relationship between staff and students;
  
• the availability to faculty and support staff of international teaching accreditation through Advance HE, offering the opportunity to gain supported opportunities for reflection on their professional practice;
  
• the extensive resources, facilities and support services available to students, including the addressing of digital poverty;
  
• the role of the student government in promoting students’ interests and the wider community building activities available to students.

Professor Waqar Ahmad, President of Nazarbayev University, said: "Nazarbayev University combines international standards with local and regional relevance. QAA accreditation is synonymous with the highest international standards. We are delighted to add these prestigious programme accreditations to the recently secured QAA institutional accreditation. Ranked among the top 200 globally in the prestigious Times Higher Education Subject Rankings, the Graduate School of Education is the regional leader in research, teaching and leadership development in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. My congratulations to Dean Dr Aida Sagintayeva, her faculty, students and staff on this achievement.'

Piers Wall, QAA’s Head of International Quality Assurance and Enhancement, said: 'QAA is pleased to congratulate Nazarbayev University on its successful completion of our International Programme Accreditation for these three programmes. We continue to enjoy working with our colleagues in Kazakhstan, and we look forward to collaborating with them in the future.'

You can read these International Programme Accreditation reports in full on our website, where you can also find out more about the IPA process, the IQR process and QAA International Membership. If you are interested in your institution seeking accreditation or international membership, and wish to discuss this further, please contact the QAA Global team at accreditation@qaa.ac.uk.