Seventy-five universities stand ready to enrol freshmen this year. The most capable students are eligible for government scholarships, while the rest will have to pay their own way.
Young Uzbeks awaiting the entrance exams – which all universities hold August 1 – have stiff competition from their peers. And this year, familiarity with past exams won’t help as a commission overhauled the exams.
“Uzbekistan is a ‘young’ country, with 65% of its population 30 or under,” Abdurasul Mirsaidov, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education, said. “That means almost 20m people. Higher education is the most important way for the country to develop its human capital. … Polls last year showed that 82% of respondents age 20 or under would like a diploma.”
“In 2012, [Uzbeks] submitted about 430,000 applications; … we expect at least 500,000 this year,” Iroda Tulyaganova of the State Testing Centre said.
President Islam Karimov’s office every year establishes the acceptance quotas for every university. This year, the nation’s universities plan to admit about 58,000 undergraduates and 5,000 master’s degree candidates.
“Higher education in Uzbekistan is a two-stage process,” Mirsaidov said. “After four years, a student obtains a bachelor’s degree, and after that, if so desired, can study for another two years to obtain a master’s degree.”
Scholarships are coveted Competition is intense for government scholarships that cover the full cost of undergraduate or master’s programmes.
About 33% of students, those with the best examination results, will receive scholarships. Otherwise, students pay from about 3.5m UZS (US $ 1,500) to 5.3m UZS (US $ 2,300) for a year of study.
The cost depends on the perceived prestige of the field. Law and international relations cost the most; humanities the least.
The much-sought-after scholarships come with a work obligation, though.
“I finished my studies with a government scholarship in 2012,” Tashkent State Technical University alumnus Maksim Bon said. “But I haven’t received my diploma yet. Each [scholarship recipient] must work at a state enterprise for three years.”
Another student described paying his own way.
“Last year I enrolled in the National University physics department,” Abdurashid Musakhanov of Tashkent said. “I didn’t win a scholarship, so I had to come up with the money.”
He borrowed the US $ 2,000 (4.6m UZS) he needed for the first year. State banks allow students 10 years to pay back educational loans.
Few are chosen Inevitably, some schools and some departments within schools have to be more selective than others.
The most exacting admissions process last year was that of Termez State University, which had 15 candidates for every slot.
“Provincial universities are the most popular. Rounding out the top three were Andijan University and Jizzakh State Pedagogical University,” Tulyaganova said.
In Tashkent, meanwhile, medical and pharmacy schools were the most selective.
“About nine people on average competed for each slot [in those universities],” Tulyaganova said. “The least popular departments [within other universities in Tashkent] were philology and design.”