Uzbekistan plans to implement a Graduate Quality Index, which will take effect on October 1, 2026. This index will be used to assess higher education institutions based on the employment outcomes of their graduates. Annually, five hundred million soums from the state budget will be allocated to the 20 universities with the highest indicators to develop their career centers.
This measure was approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 525, signed on September 29, 2026. The adoption of this document is aimed at implementing Presidential Decree No. UP-58 dated April 10, 2026, which provides for additional steps to improve the system of higher education, science, and innovation. The goal is to stimulate universities to improve graduate employment rates and promote healthy competition among educational institutions.
The annual calculation of the index will be carried out by the National Agency for Ensuring Education Quality. It will cover graduates of all higher education institutions, regardless of their administrative affiliation or legal form, with the exception of higher military and paramilitary educational institutions. A graduate is considered an individual who has completed studies at the university in the reporting year and received a bachelor's or master's degree. The reporting period runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
The assessment will be based on four key indicators: speed of graduate employment, level of employment stability, average monthly income, and employment category. The methodology for calculating the index will be determined by this agency. Foreign citizens, military personnel, persons deprived of liberty, and deceased graduates will not be included in the calculation.
Universities will be compared within four categories: applied sciences, medical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as arts and sports. Results of institutions with fewer than 200 graduates in the reporting year will be considered separately, and such institutions will not be eligible for incentives, except for universities in the field of arts and sports. Universities liquidated during the year will not be included in the final results.
The index will be formed on an automated digital platform that collects and verifies information from state information systems. Data on diplomas, specialties, and fields of study will be obtained from the HEMIS system of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation. The Tax Committee will provide information via my.soliq.uz regarding graduates' incomes and how many of them have established a legal entity, become individual entrepreneurs, or registered as self-employed.
The Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Employment will provide data from the Unified National Labor System on graduates' workplaces, positions, hiring dates, and work experience. The Ministry of Defense will report on graduates conscripted into military service, the National Social Protection Agency will provide information on graduates requiring social protection, and the Ministry of Health will provide data on graduates on parental leave. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide information on travel abroad, while the Ministry of Justice will provide data on company formations and deaths. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will provide data on salaries and income from the UzASBO software complex.
The agencies providing information are responsible for its accuracy. If the data proves to be inaccurate or fabricated, or if it is established that the university attempted to artificially inflate its indicators, the agency director will issue an order to exclude the institution from the index for that year.
The agency, together with the Ministry of Digital Technologies, must launch the platform by November 10, 2026, using non-budgetary funds. By November 1, the State Institution 'Cybersecurity Center' will conduct testing of the platform for compliance with cybersecurity requirements. By December 1, the Ministry of Digital Technologies must integrate the information systems of state bodies with the platform through the interdepartmental e-government platform.
The agency will approve the list of participating universities by category by July 15 and prepare preliminary results by August 15. Preliminary results will be sent to universities through their personal accounts on the platform within 10 days. Universities will have 10 days to review the results and report errors, while the agency will consider appeals within 15 days. If the error is related to the data source, the result may remain unchanged, but the agency will send recommendations to the relevant state body for improving data collection.
Final results will be published annually on the agency's website by October 1. For clarity, universities in each category will be divided into three groups: the 'green' group will include the top 30% with the best results, the 'yellow' group will comprise the next 30%, and the remaining 40% will fall into the 'red' group.
The number of universities receiving incentives will be distributed among categories proportionally to the number of universities in each category. In case of equal scores, preference will be given to the institution with a higher average monthly graduate income. If this indicator is also equal, job stability, employment category, and employment speed will be taken into account.
Funding for incentives in 2027 will be provided within the budget of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, and starting from 2028, the funds will be included in the parameters of the state budget. The Ministry will transfer the funds to state structures.
