Cardiff University Kazakhstan — A Russell Group Degree in the Heart of Astana

When the cherry-blossom flag of Cardiff University rose over its new campus in Astana in September 2025, it marked something the region had been waiting for without quite knowing it. For the first time, a UK Russell Group university — that elite club of 24 research-intensive institutions that includes Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Imperial — opened a full branch campus in Central Asia.

Cardiff Kazakhstan is not a partnership. It is not a franchised name. It is Cardiff University, governed directly from Wales, awarding Cardiff University degrees, on Kazakhstani soil. Let's look at what that actually means for applicants.

The Russell Group context — what is it, and why does it matter?

The Russell Group is the UK's most research-intensive university consortium. Its 24 members produce more than two-thirds of the country's world-leading research and recruit globally. A Cardiff degree carries that label everywhere — graduate schools, multinational employers, embassies issuing skilled-worker visas.

Cardiff University itself sits comfortably inside the world's top 200 universities. It runs schools of medicine, journalism (consistently rated #1 in the UK), engineering, business and earth sciences that recruit international faculty and students at scale.

Until 2025, you needed a flight to Wales to be a Cardiff student. Now you need a flight to Astana.

What is the Astana campus actually like?

The campus sits in central Astana with modern academic facilities, student residences nearby and on-site learning resources mirroring those in Cardiff. The teaching faculty includes Cardiff-employed academics, supported by experienced local lecturers trained in the Cardiff curriculum. Lectures are recorded and shared, study spaces are designed for the Russell Group small-group seminar model, and the library has full access to Cardiff's digital resources.

Programs offered in 2026

Cardiff Kazakhstan opened with a focused, high-demand programme list — chosen specifically to match Kazakhstan's national priorities in STEM, business and the energy transition.

Bachelor's programmes

• BSc (Hons) Computer Science
• BBA (Hons) Business Administration
• BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
• BSc (Hons) Geology
• BSc (Hons) Mineral Exploration

Each programme runs four years, with a Foundation Year in STEM or Business for applicants who need to bridge from the Kazakhstani UNT exam to UK undergraduate standards.

Tuition fees

This is the most striking part. The same Cardiff University degree costs GBP 24,000–28,000 per year in Wales (international fee). At the Astana campus, the all-in fee is substantially lower — and a large share of seats are covered by Kazakhstani government grants.

• State-funded grants: 300 places allocated specifically for Cardiff Kazakhstan in 2025
• Self-funded route: tuition roughly 50–60% of the UK overseas rate
• Foundation Year: separately priced, with its own scholarship pool

For Kazakhstani families and many international applicants, this is the first time a Russell Group education has been within walking distance of affordable.

Admission requirements

• High school certificate (Kazakhstani UNT or equivalent international qualification — A-levels, IB, foreign secondary diploma)
• Mathematics and a relevant science / business subject at strong grades
• English proficiency: IELTS 6.0–6.5 (depending on programme), TOEFL iBT 80+, or equivalent
• Foundation Year entry: lower academic and English thresholds, IELTS 5.5
• Motivation statement and academic references

Applications are made through the Cardiff Kazakhstan portal (cardiff.edu.kz) for self-funded students, and through studyinkz.kz for those competing for the state-funded grant places.

Why these specific programs?

The five degrees were chosen in consultation with the Kazakhstani government and industry. Geology and mineral exploration align with the country's resource economy. Civil engineering supports infrastructure expansion. Business administration produces graduates for the financial sector around the Astana International Financial Centre. Computer science feeds the country's growing IT hub.

In other words, these are not just degree titles. They are designed to make Cardiff graduates highly employable inside Kazakhstan, while still being globally portable.

What does graduation look like?

You receive a Cardiff University degree — the same one issued to graduates in Wales — and you become a member of Cardiff's worldwide alumni network. Mobility programs allow you to spend a semester or year at the main Cardiff campus. Postgraduate progression to UK master's and PhD programs is open on the same terms as for Cardiff's UK-based graduates.

Honest pros and cons

Pros

• Russell Group degree at well under Russell Group prices
• Strong scholarship pool covered by the Kazakhstani state
• Curriculum, accreditation and quality assurance from the UK home institution
• Located in the political and administrative capital, with internship pipelines into ministries, embassies and AIFC firms
• Mobility to the main Cardiff campus during the degree

Cons / things to weigh

• The campus is new — the alumni network in Kazakhstan is still being built
• Programme list is currently narrow — medicine, law and journalism are not yet on offer
• Astana winters are not for the faint-hearted
• Russell Group reputation is most valuable for graduates who plan to work internationally; for purely domestic Kazakhstani careers, KIMEP or Nazarbayev may have stronger local networks

Who is Cardiff Kazakhstan really for?

If you want a degree that travels — to the UK, EU, Middle East, Asia or the Americas — and your family budget does not stretch to Cardiff's Wales tuition, this is the deal of the decade. If you want a globally-portable diploma but also want to keep your costs low and your family nearby, this campus was effectively designed for you.

If your goal is a domestic-only career in Kazakhstan, you might be marginally better served by a top national university with deeper local networks. Marginally.

How to apply for the 2026 intake

1. Decide on your programme and check the entry requirements at cardiff.edu.kz
2. Confirm your route: scholarship (studyinkz.kz) or self-funded (direct to Cardiff)
3. Prepare transcripts, English test results and motivation statement
4. Apply by the published deadline — typically late spring for the September intake
5. Sit any subject-specific entry tests required (mathematics for engineering, etc.)

Final word

Cardiff University Kazakhstan is not just a new university option. It is a category-defining one. For applicants in Central Asia, the Caucasus, South Asia and the Middle East who have always wanted a UK Russell Group education but could not justify the cost, the decision has just become a lot simpler.

Official applications and resources

All international study applications and accredited programme listings in Kazakhstan are coordinated through the official portal of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan: studyinkz.kz.

studyinkz.kz is the single authoritative source for accredited universities, current scholarship deadlines, foreign branch campus admissions and the official invitation letter required for the C9 student visa. Apply through any other channel only after verifying that your programme is listed on studyinkz.kz.