American University of Central Asia

The American University of Central Asia in Bishkek was founded in 1993 and teaches an American liberal arts curriculum in English, with degrees accredited in the United States. It has around 1,305 students and one faculty member for every nine students. For a Kazakh applicant it is the most accessible American-style education anywhere, and the reasons compound. Bishkek is roughly four hours from Almaty by road. Kazakhstan is named explicitly among the 19 countries AUCA's students come from, so the admissions office handles Kazakh documents routinely and there are Kazakh peers on campus. Russian is spoken throughout the city, so daily life proceeds in a familiar language while the degree is taught in English. And the funding is exceptional. Around 84 per cent of undergraduates receive merit or need-based aid covering up to 90 per cent of tuition, explicitly available to students from CIS countries. Separately, the US-CAEF scholarship funded by the United States Department of State covers tuition, accommodation, travel and a living stipend for citizens of Kazakhstan specifically. It is US-accredited rather than a branch campus, which is a different legal thing and worth verifying independently.