The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000 by the governments of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan. It is the world’s first internationally chartered institution of higher education.
The University of Central Asia was established to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain communities, by offering an internationally recognised standard of higher education, and helping the peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions as assets for the future.
The University of Central Asia’s (UCA) first campus opened in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic in 2016, second campus in Khorog, Tajikistan opened in 2017 and will be followed by Tekeli, Kazakhstan (2021). Undergraduate students interested in majoring in Engineering Sciences or Business and Management will enroll in the campus in Tekeli, Kazakhstan in 2021.
Founded in 2000, the Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan, signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular, private, not for profit University, which was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations.
UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) learning centre in Tekeli, Kazakhstan was opened in 2003 and is equipped with state-of-the-art learning technologies, two computer laboratories, four classrooms and a 17,305 volume library. The School has become a leading provider of adult and continuing education, reaching over 18,000 learners in Kazakhstan.
SPCE is a leading provider of post-secondary, short-cycle education in Central Asia, giving young people and adults professional and vocational qualifications that improve employment and income generating opportunities.
The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) promotes pluralism in ideas, cultures, and people by supporting the development and implementation of innovative humanities curricula based on the cultural traditions of Central Asia. AKHP initiates and supports curriculum and pedagogical development in universities, community outreach projects and institutional development through long-term partnerships. It has worked in universities in Kazakhstan as well as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
In 2017, AKHP launched its Public Lecture Series in Almaty, Kazakhstan organised in partnership with the Public Association Innovative Practices (PAIP) with support of the Ministry of Religion and Civil Society of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For more information on upcoming lectures, click here.
To complement the work of the Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia, UCA is supporting the development of a music programme that will provide unique instruction, research and performance opportunities in the rich musical traditions of Central Asia.
The programme will support UCA’s academic programmes and enrich the cultural life of its three campuses.
On 17 December 2002, His Highness the Aga Khan, who was on a short visit to Astana, received from President Nazarbayev the State Award for Peace and Progress.
The Award citation commended the Aga Khan for his "distinguished contribution to strengthening peace and friendship with mutual confidence amongst peoples and for vigourous activity aimed at the solution of humanitarian problems."
