NU Enters THE World University Rankings: Scores Top 30% of International Research Universities
We are happy to announce that Nazarbayev University has debuted in the top 30 percent of international research universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2024.
The results, released by THE on September 28, rank 1904 universities from approximately 100 countries. NU participated in this highly recognized international evaluation for the first time. Achieving a place among the top one-third of the world’s leading research universities in just 13 years is a significant milestone and an outstanding achievement by international standards.
NU secured a position in the range of 501-600, thereby demonstrating the best performance among universities in Kazakhstan and the region of Central Asia and Caucasus. In 2024, Kazakhstan is represented by a total of four universities, with Nazarbayev University being at the top of the list.
Nazarbayev University decided to enter THE WUR for several compelling reasons, aligning with the university’s values and mission:
- Comprehensive and balanced evaluation methodology;
- Objectivity in assessing university performance, examined by an annual independent external audit;
- Focus on the world-leading research agenda and research activities of universities.
THE’s new methodology ranks universities on 17 performance indicators based on:
- Teaching 29.5%,
- Research Environment 29%,
- Research Quality 30%,
- Industry 4%, and
- International Outlook 7.5%.
NU scored very highly for its Research Environment and Research Quality: these categories assess a university’s reputation for research excellence, and the number of research publications in the top 10% for field-weighted citation impact worldwide. Over the past five years, NU’s Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) reached 1.34, indicating that NU’s publications are cited 34% more than the global average. In this specific indicator, the university falls within the range of well-established leading East Asian universities in China, Japan, and South Korea.
NU’s strong performance in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings underscores the university’s ongoing commitment to academic and research excellence. Currently, the number of research publications made by NU has exceeded 7,000, which is approximately 1/6 of all scientific publications put forth by Kazakh universities from 2011 to 2022 (42,549).
Notably, NU’s publications in the most prestigious academic journals in the Q1 (first quartile) category — highly cited and significant in the scientific community — have increased from 615 to 2,896 in the last five years, comprising over a third of all scientific articles published in Q1 journals by Kazakh universities since 2011 (8,110). Typically, Q1 journals accept only about 10% of submitted articles, evaluated for scientific significance by independent reviewers.
Over the past five years, NU’s Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) reached 1.34, indicating that NU’s publications are cited 34% more than the global average. In this specific indicator, the university falls within the range of well-established leading East Asian universities in China, Japan, and South Korea.
Nazarbayev University actively integrates research into its academic programs, encouraging student involvement in research from day one. 23% of NU’s scientific publications that came out in 2023 were co-authored by NU students.
It is important to note that globally, countries have recognized that the foundations for a competitive modern economy driven by technology and science are firmly linked to the presence of high-quality research universities. Fundamental and applied research translates to innovation and new products in the economy. NU is no different, with research in materials, biotechnology and medicine, energy, and data sciences – all leading to new economic opportunities. Thus, the number of universities included in the ranking increases every year. In 2023, the number of universities in the ranking totaled 1,799 universities, the 2024 ranking includes 1,904 universities. There are more than 30,000 universities worldwide, and only around 2,000 meet the inclusion criteria for THE.
Nazarbayev University’s next strategic ambition is aiming to enter the top 20% of world universities in THE WUR by 2030.
