QS Stars International Rating has awarded Abai University with 4 «stars»

This year Abai KazNPU, for the first time taking part in the authoritative international QS Stars Rating System, has received a high assessment - 4 «stars» out of five possible, with a score of 752 points out of 1000.

QS Stars is part of the QS Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) global service portfolio. A key feature of this ranking is that the analysis is not based on a comparison of the university with other universities, but on a focus on the strengths of the university. QS Stars ranks universities on a scale of 0 to 5+ stars based on a comprehensive analysis of over 50 indicators that reflect a broad range of activities by the university and its compliance with high international standards.

According to the QS Stars rating, Abai KazNPU is awarded 5 stars in 4 categories: «Teaching», «Online learning», «Employability» and «Inclusion». For any university, these categories are particularly important as they cover the core of its activities. The «Teaching» category assesses the ratio of students to teaching staff, student satisfaction in general and the quality of education in particular, as well as their intention to continue their studies in master and doctoral programs in the coming years.

The above categories (activities), rated 5 stars by QS Stars, send a clear message to society, all our stakeholders - Abai University students receive a quality education through the best teaching, both traditional and online, in high-demand fields of study, confirming the high employability of our graduates. In the face of a rapidly changing technological world and the sudden pandemic that education has rapidly moved into the virtual space, the university has managed to transform itself to digital platforms and therefore earned 5 stars in the Online Learning category. It is pleasing to note that the university was also awarded 5 stars in the category assessed for its commitment to inclusion. The university has a counselling and support centre for students with disabilities, special places in the library for students with special educational needs, etc.

It was expected that the university would get 5 stars in employability as Abai University was ranked 38th in QS Graduate Employability Rankings, the annual report of the world`s universities on the employability of their graduates. This criterion is the most important indicator of the competitiveness of both graduates and the university. Abai University closely cooperates with employers, starting from the design stage of educational programs and ending with employment during internships, introduces elements of dual education, creates department branches in internship bases.... The university systematically holds job fairs, provides employment counselling, and has created a mobile job search application for students, all of which yields the expected results of a high level of graduate employment. Today, our graduates are working all over the country and have received positive feedback in the QS Stars survey of their employers.

Internationalization includes interaction, international cooperation and research collaborations, academic mobility and student exchanges, international student numbers and national diversity, all of which contribute to the university`s reputation in the international arena. The university has a 4-star rating in this category. The university also deserves 4 stars for implementing the principle of social responsibility. It is well known that the university organizes many environmental protection actions, serves the surrounding community and implements significant charity and volunteering projects. For example, the volunteer movement «Izgilik Elshisy» - «Accelerator of Kindness» received wide support at the republican level.

An important achievement for the university is that the EP «Pedagogy and Psychology» was included in the category «Strong Program», which once again confirms our specialization as a specialized pedagogical university, positioning itself not only at the country level, but also at the global level.

In conclusion, the research and development category, rated 3 stars, shows a growth point for further development. Increased participation in research grant competitions, an increase in the number of publications in reputable publications, a corresponding increase in the number of citations, etc. - are things that will be stressed on the way to transformation into a pedagogical research university.

«Four Stars» from QS Stars is recognition of Abai University`s competitiveness and academic reputation in the global science and education space, proof of its commitment to inclusive education, hence its overall commitment to SDG 4 - Education for Sustainable Development.