Most scholarships make you compete for a tuition waiver. At Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University (KTMU) in Bishkek, the tuition waiver is simply how the university works. Education is tuition-free at every level for all admitted students, domestic and international. So when people talk about the "Manas scholarship", they usually mean two things together: free tuition that comes with admission, and a set of extra merit, need-based and stipend awards on top of it. You can read the full scholarship details on our listing, but this guide explains how the pieces fit and where applicants tend to go wrong.
KTMU was founded in 1995 as a joint venture between the governments of the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkey. It is a bi-national public university, which matters more than it sounds: it has two governments behind it, so it is a very different proposition from a small private college chasing foreign fees. It enrolls roughly 4,600 students from 23 nationalities across vocational, Bachelor's, Master's and PhD programs.
The short version in a table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Funding | Full / partial (tuition-free for all admitted students, plus optional merit, need-based and special support awards) |
| Levels | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD |
| Fields | Engineering, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Communication, Sciences, Humanities |
| Deadline | Varies by intake. Announced periodically by the Office for International Relations |
| Country | Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek) |
| Provider | Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University, jointly established by the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Turkey |
| Official site | manas.edu.kg |
Free tuition is the baseline, not the prize
This is the part many Pakistani applicants misread. You do not apply for the tuition waiver separately. If KTMU admits you, your tuition is free as standard university policy. That means the real decision for most people is whether they also qualify for the money that helps with living costs.
On top of free tuition, KTMU runs three scholarship tracks:
- The Manas Merit Scholarship, for students with high academic achievement.
- The Financial Aid Scholarship, for students who can document financial need.
- Special Support Scholarships, for particular categories of students the university identifies.
Graduate students can also receive monthly stipends. Reported baseline amounts are around 7,200 som per month for Master's students and 9,600 som per month for doctoral students. Treat these as indicative. They are subject to the university's current scholarship announcements, and the amounts for your year may differ.
What daily life costs you, since tuition does not
With tuition gone, your budget comes down to living costs, travel and visa fees. Bishkek is one of the more affordable Central Asian capitals, and KTMU keeps costs down further with subsidized on-campus dining. Meals in the campus dining halls are reported at around 80 som per day.
Still, living costs are your own responsibility. If you are an undergraduate, there is no automatic monthly stipend described for your level, so unless you win merit or financial aid support you will be paying rent, food and travel yourself. Plan for that honestly before you commit. If your visa process asks for proof of funds, our guide to bank statements and proof of funds is a useful starting point.
Can a Pakistani student get in?
Yes. KTMU is open to international applicants who meet its admission requirements, and its students come from 23 nationalities. Bishkek also has a substantial South Asian community, so you will not be the only one adjusting to a new city.
The general requirements are:
- Completed secondary education for a Bachelor's program, or a relevant prior degree for a Master's or PhD.
- Meeting KTMU's entrance requirements, through its own exam or an equivalent standardized assessment for your chosen program.
- For merit support, a strong academic transcript and/or strong entrance exam performance.
- For financial aid, documented evidence of financial need.
- A valid passport and the standard international-student admission documents.
The exact entrance exam or equivalent assessment is program-specific and is not spelled out in fixed terms, so ask the Office for International Relations which test applies to your department.
The language question you must ask first
Programs at KTMU are taught in Turkish, Kyrgyz, Russian or English, and this varies by department. Do not assume your program is in English. A tuition-free seat is worth little if you cannot follow the lectures, so confirm the language of instruction for your specific program before you spend time on documents. If your program turns out to be Turkish-medium, think seriously about whether you are prepared to study in that language.
Paperwork for the admission file
The document list is short compared with many government scholarships:
- KTMU application form
- Secondary school certificate and transcripts, or prior degree transcripts for graduate applicants
- Valid passport copy
- Passport-sized photographs
- Financial need documentation, if you are applying for the Financial Aid Scholarship
- Any program-specific entrance exam results the university asks for
Pakistani applicants often need attested academic documents for foreign admissions. KTMU's requirements on attestation are not stated, so ask the IRO directly, and see our IBCC and MOFA attestation guide if they do ask for it.
Applying for admission and extra funding in one go
- Contact KTMU's Office for International Relations (IRO) to confirm the current admission cycle and the requirements for your intended program.
- Submit the standard application for admission. Tuition-free status applies automatically once you are admitted.
- If you want merit or need-based support, submit the relevant scholarship application alongside your admission file, following the university's current scholarship announcement.
- Provide supporting documents as requested: academic records, and financial need evidence where relevant.
- Wait for the university's decision on both admission and any additional scholarship.
- Once accepted, coordinate visa and arrival logistics through the IRO before the semester starts.
The IRO's student page is at iro.manas.edu.kg, and scholarship information is on the KTMU scholarship page. You can also email the IRO at iro@manas.edu.kg.
Why there is no fixed deadline to circle
KTMU does not publish a fixed annual schedule for this. Admission announcements vary by intake and come out periodically through IRO channels. Scholarship applications go in alongside your admission application, not later. In practice, this means you cannot rely on a date you saw last year or on a third-party listing. Check the official portal and IRO channels for the current cycle, and if the dates are unclear, write to the IRO and ask.
Where applicants slip up
The most common mistake is treating the Financial Aid Scholarship as an afterthought. If you need help beyond free tuition, apply for it with your admission file. Coming back after admission to ask for money is the weaker position, and the process is designed around submitting both together.
The second mistake is relying only on the website. Much of the process detail is communicated directly by the IRO rather than published online. Stay in contact with them through the whole cycle and keep copies of their replies.
Third, people quote stipend figures as if they were guaranteed. The 7,200 som and 9,600 som graduate figures are reported amounts subject to current announcements. Ask the IRO for this year's exact amounts before you build a budget around them.
Who does this suit? A Pakistani student who wants a low-cost degree in engineering, economics, communication, sciences or humanities, who is comfortable with Central Asia, and who may later want links to Turkey for further study or exchange. Who should think twice? Anyone who needs a fully funded package with guaranteed living money at undergraduate level, or anyone unwilling to study in a language other than English if their program is not English-medium.
Before you finalise anything, our guide to all Kyrgyzstan scholarships lets you compare KTMU with other options in the country.
Frequently asked questions
Is KTMU really tuition-free for international students?
Yes. Education at KTMU is tuition-free at all levels as standard university policy for admitted students, domestic and international alike.
Do I need a separate application for the tuition waiver?
No. Free tuition applies automatically once you are admitted. You only submit a separate scholarship application if you want merit, financial aid or special support funding, and that goes in alongside your admission file.
How much is the monthly stipend?
Graduate stipends are reported at around 7,200 som per month for Master's and 9,600 som per month for PhD students, subject to the university's current announcements. Confirm the current figures with the IRO.
Are programs taught in English?
Some are. Turkish, Kyrgyz, Russian and English-medium programs all exist, and it varies by department, so check the language for your specific program before applying.
When is the deadline?
It varies by intake. Announcements are made periodically through the Office for International Relations, so check the official portal and IRO channels for the current cycle.
For current dates and amounts, go to the official KTMU website, and keep the full Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University Scholarship page handy as you prepare.