The Kazakhstan Government Scholarship is a fully funded government program with 550 seats a year for international students. It pays full tuition for the whole degree and a monthly stipend, and it is one of the few government awards that openly includes General Medicine (the MBBS equivalent) at selected universities. For Pakistani families who have priced private MBBS seats abroad, that last point is the main reason this scholarship gets attention.
This guide explains how the seats are split, what the stipend is worth in practice, how the three-stage selection works and where applicants usually go wrong. You can see the full scholarship details on our scholarship page as well.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funding | Fully funded: full tuition plus a monthly stipend |
| Provider | Government of Kazakhstan |
| Levels | Bachelor's (490 seats), Master's (50 seats), PhD (10 seats) |
| Application window | March 30 to May 31, 2026 (until 23:59 Astana time) |
| Country | Kazakhstan |
| Application fee | None |
| Official site | studyin.kz/admission |
A scholarship built mostly around undergraduates
Look at the seat split before anything else. Of the 550 places, 490 are at Bachelor's level. Master's gets 50 and PhD only 10. If you are finishing FSc, ICS, ICom or FA, this is a scholarship that is really aimed at you. If you are a researcher hoping for a PhD seat, the numbers are thin, and you should treat this as one application among several rather than your main plan.
The program is listed as open to all disciplines, including Medicine, Sciences, Commerce, Arts and Engineering. Students from Science, Commerce, Arts and Diploma backgrounds can apply, so you do not need a pre-medical background unless you are going for Medicine itself.
What the monthly stipend is really worth
The stipend depends on your level and, at Bachelor's level, on whether you study Medicine.
| Program | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's (regular) | 54,000 KZT (approximately USD 110) |
| Bachelor's in Medicine | 84,000 KZT (approximately USD 165) |
| Master's | 119,000 KZT |
| PhD | 262,000 KZT |
Tuition is covered for the complete degree, and university dormitory accommodation is available at low cost. Dorm rent is typically quoted at USD 50-80 a month, and food in Almaty or Astana at around USD 100-150 a month if you eat modestly. Estimates for total monthly living costs vary between sources, so plan with a range rather than a single figure and check current costs with your university before you travel.
Here is the honest arithmetic. A regular Bachelor's student on roughly USD 110 a month will find it tight once rent and food are added up. The Medicine stipend is more comfortable. Part-time work for international students is officially restricted, so you cannot count on a job to fill the gap. Family support as a backup is the sensible plan, and your parents should know that before you accept a seat.
The 70 out of 100 rule that keeps your stipend alive
Winning the scholarship is only the start. To keep receiving the stipend, you must score at least 70 out of 100 in every subject, every semester. Not on average. In every subject. Falling below that threshold can lead to suspension or cancellation of the stipend.
This matters most for medical students, whose course loads are heavy, and for anyone studying in a language they are still learning. One weak subject in a hard semester can cost you months of stipend. Go in knowing this rule and plan your study habits around it from the first term.
MBBS in Kazakhstan: language and recognition checks
General Medicine programs are available at selected universities under this scholarship. Two institutions named in the program information are Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty and Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (KazNMU).
Two checks matter more than anything else here.
- Language of instruction. Kazakhstani universities teach in English, Russian and Kazakh. English-medium medical tracks exist, but some programs run in Russian, and Russian-medium programs may require a Russian preparatory course. Confirm the medium for your exact program on the studyin.kz portal before you list a university.
- PMDC/PMC recognition. Some Kazakhstani universities are recognized by PMDC/PMC in Pakistan, but not all. Verify that your specific target university is recognized before you commit. Pakistani graduates of recognized Kazakhstani medical universities must also pass the PMLE examination on returning to Pakistan for PMDC/PMC registration.
A common mistake is choosing a university because a friend went there, without checking either of these. A free degree you cannot practise with in Pakistan is not free.
Eligibility, and the HEC route for Pakistani applicants
The published requirements are short. You need a background in Science, Commerce, Arts or a Diploma, you apply through the official portal, and you go through the three selection stages. No age limit, minimum grade or language score is listed in the information available, so check the current requirements on the official portal for your level and program.
For Pakistani students there is one extra step to be aware of. The HEC Pakistan scholarship portal is listed for Pakistani applicants to apply for the bilateral government nomination before completing the Kazakhstan portal application. Check HEC for any current Kazakhstan announcement early, because a nomination process on the Pakistani side will have its own dates. Students from other countries are advised to contact the Kazakhstan embassy in their home country about bilateral nomination quotas.
The document list is not published yet
The official document list is still to be confirmed, so check studyin.kz for the current list. Stage 1 is a review of your academic and personal documents for eligibility and completeness, which tells you what to expect in broad terms: your educational records and personal identification.
Do not wait for the portal to open before getting papers ready. Pakistani certificates often need attestation, and that takes time. Our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide covers that process, and the scholarship documents checklist is a good starting point while the official list is pending.
Three stages: documents, a psychological test, then an interview
Everything is managed online through the official portal at studyin.kz/admission. The process runs like this:
- Check the specialties and programs at participating university websites, and confirm the language of instruction.
- Apply on the portal between March 30 and May 31, 2026, before 23:59 Astana time.
- Stage 1, document evaluation. Your academic and personal documents are reviewed. Candidates who pass receive email instructions for the next stages.
- Stage 2, psychological test. This assesses personality, stress tolerance and situational judgment. It is not an academic examination.
- Stage 3, interview. The date and format are sent by email, and it may be online or in person.
The psychological test confuses many applicants. You cannot study for it the way you study for an entry test. What helps is practising general aptitude and psychometric tests so the format feels familiar and you answer calmly. Answer honestly and consistently. Trying to guess the "right" personality usually produces contradictory answers.
Because instructions for Stages 2 and 3 arrive by email, use an address you check daily and look in your spam folder through June and July.
How the 2026 cycle is expected to run
The application window typically opens in March. The expected schedule for this cycle is:
- March 30, 2026: application window opens
- May 31, 2026: application deadline, 23:59 Astana time
- June 2026: document evaluation
- June-July 2026: psychological test and interview
- August-September 2026: results and enrollment
Treat these as expected dates and confirm the current cycle and deadline on the official portal. Submit early in the window. Portal congestion near the deadline is common, and a technical problem on the last day can cost you the whole year.
Who should apply, and who should think twice
This suits Pakistani students who want an MBBS or a Bachelor's degree abroad at very low cost, who are comfortable in a Muslim-majority country where halal food is widely available, and who can handle a strict per-subject grade rule. With 550 seats and a three-stage process, it is generally seen as more accessible than heavily competitive awards like CSC or GKS Korea.
Think twice if your family cannot add any money each month, if you are not willing to learn some Russian for daily life or a preparatory course, or if your goal is a specific medical university whose PMDC/PMC recognition you cannot confirm. Once you have a seat, the visa stage has its own risks, and our guide to student visa rejection reasons is worth reading before you book anything.
For visa questions and entry requirements, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Islamabad is at Diplomatic Enclave, Attaturk Avenue, G-5/4, Islamabad (+92-51-9000428), with details on its official page. Once in Kazakhstan, the Embassy of Pakistan in Almaty (Mukanov Street 30, +7-727-3800208) handles attestation, passport renewal and emergencies; see its website.
Frequently asked questions
Is MBBS covered under the Kazakhstan Government Scholarship?
Yes. General Medicine programs are available at selected universities, and Medicine students receive a higher stipend of 84,000 KZT a month compared with 54,000 KZT for other Bachelor's programs.
Is there an application fee?
No. There is no application fee for this scholarship.
Do I need IELTS or a Russian language test?
No Kazakh or Russian language test is listed as required for English-medium applicants. No English test requirement is published in the available information, so check the official portal for your program. Russian-medium programs may require a Russian preparatory course.
What happens if I score below 70 in one subject?
You must score at least 70 out of 100 in every subject each semester to keep the stipend. Falling below that can lead to the stipend being suspended or cancelled.
Can I work part-time to cover extra costs?
Part-time work for international students is officially restricted. Plan on family support as a backup rather than earnings from a job.
Will my Kazakh medical degree let me practise in Pakistan?
Only if your university is recognized by PMDC/PMC, and not all are. Verify recognition of your specific university before you commit, and expect to pass the PMLE examination for registration after returning.
Before you apply, confirm the current cycle, document list and program languages on the official Study in Kazakhstan portal, and keep our Kazakhstan Government Scholarship page handy for the full details.