38 Universities of Uzbekistan Included in QS Asia 2027 Ranking

The procedure for calculating the 'Graduate Quality Index,' designed to evaluate the activities of universities, has been approved in Uzbekistan. This assessment will be based on how quickly graduates find employment, how long they remain employed, and what level of income they receive.

Based on the results of this evaluation, two dozen universities demonstrating the highest indicators will receive five hundred million soums in financial support annually. The relevant departmental document was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice on October 31, 2026.

The new index will be calculated based on four key parameters: the rate of graduate employment, the degree of employment stability, average monthly income, and employment category. The reporting period for these calculations will be 12 months, starting from July 1st and ending on June 30th of the following year.

Special conditions have been established for graduates belonging to socially vulnerable categories and included in the Social Register. When determining the speed of employment and the employment category for them, maximum increasing coefficients will be applied. Furthermore, when assessing stable employment for such graduates, the fact of securing stable work will be taken into account.

If a graduate belongs to multiple categories, the highest available increasing coefficient will be used in the index calculation. The introduction of this index was planned by a presidential decree dated April 10, 2026.

Previously, there were reports about plans to change the rules of the national university rating in Uzbekistan and link the financial revenues of state universities to the results of this rating. The draft order proposed dividing universities into three levels depending on the points obtained. It is expected that the new system can start operating from January 1, 2027.

Educational institutions in Uzbekistan now have the opportunity to pay for state accreditation significantly cheaper, provided that a number of established requirements are met. According to the innovation, instead of the full amount of the basic fee, only 25% can be paid.

This change applies to both comprehensive and special state accreditation. The Ministry of Justice has officially registered amendments to the regulations governing the amounts and procedure for calculating these fees for educational organizations.

The new rules stipulate that when an educational institution applies, the basic accreditation fee can be reduced to one-fourth of the initially established amount. This benefit is provided if the institution meets at least one of the five listed criteria.

Conditions for receiving reduced fees

The first condition is compliance with state assignments. Accreditation is required if it is necessary for implementing tasks outlined in the documents of the President of Uzbekistan, the Head of the Presidential Administration, or the Cabinet of Ministers.

The second condition relates to having international accreditation: if at least half of the active educational programs have already been accredited by organizations included in the registry recognized in Uzbekistan, this allows for a reduction in the scope of additional evaluation work.

The third option is conducting remote accreditation, which is possible for special state accreditation. The benefit is also available if the organization simultaneously applies for special state accreditation for ten or more educational programs.

The last condition concerns the assessment of similar programs: if related programs do not require re-verification of the general material and technical base, personnel resources, and other infrastructure during accreditation, the scope of work is reduced.

It should be noted that a unified Ministry of Education and Science operates in Uzbekistan, which is responsible for administering the activities of all types of educational institutions—from kindergartens and schools to colleges and universities. This department also establishes standards for educational activities and handles licensing and accreditation.

An initiative is being considered in Uzbekistan to change the rules of the national rating of higher education institutions, which involves linking financial revenues to state universities with the results of this rating. According to the draft order, universities will be divided into three tiers depending on the number of points scored. This new system could potentially take effect from January 1, 2027.

The proposed distribution structure includes assigning 20% of universities with the best performance to the first category, the next 40% to the second, and the remaining 40% to the third. The amount of funds allocated to a university will directly depend on its category. For institutions that have financial independence, the payment calculation will be based on the amount the state allocates per student under the state order or grant.

For other state universities, the size of the funding will be determined based on the volume of budget funds intended to cover their expenses. After the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation publishes the rating results, it is obliged to transfer the corresponding funds to the treasury accounts of the universities within fifteen working days, while the universities retain the right to independently dispose of the received money.

Changes to evaluation criteria

The draft also provides for modifying the criteria for evaluating universities. Instead of using three separate metrics—graduate employment rate, job search duration, and average income—the introduction of a unified graduate quality index is planned. This index will be assessed in a range of 20 to 40 points, depending on the university's category.

Furthermore, it is proposed to adjust the deadlines for providing data for participation in the rating: the data submission date is moved from February 1st to June 1st. Universities will have to upload information for the past reporting period to a specialized platform, after which the agency will verify the data and calculate the final scores.

For educational institutions in Uzbekistan that are included in the top thousand international rankings, such as THE, QS, and ARWU, the creation of a separate national rating is provided for. In this case, results from narrow subject areas will not be taken into account. Universities that have been operating for at least three years and have already graduated undergraduates can participate in the national rating. Starting in 2027, the calculation of faculty staff numbers will be based on the sum of full-time equivalents.

These changes are currently in the stage of a draft order from the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education and will only come into force after official approval and publication of this document. It was previously reported that the development of a Graduate Quality Index for universities in Uzbekistan was underway, which should consider parameters such as employment level, employment stability, income level, and assigned job category.