Our Strategic Partners

The model for the strategic development of Nazarbayev University (NU) is primarily based on partnership with the top-ranking universities in the world. Each of the NU Schools and Research Centers is being developed in cooperation with the following leading universities and research institutions (in alphabetical order):

Strategic Partners that have contributed to the development of NU:

About the Strategic Partners

Colorado School of Mines

Founded in 1874, Colorado School of Mines has distinguished itself among the best mining colleges in the nation by developing curriculum and research programs geared towards responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. It is a public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science. It has the highest admissions standards of any public university in Colorado and among the highest of any public university in the U.S.

Colorado School of Mines ranks in the top public university in the nation for return on investment in Payscale.com’s “Colleges worth Your Investment” list. It is organized around three Colleges, with 14-degree programs: College of Applied Science and Engineering (CASE), College of Engineering and Computational Sciences (CECS) and College of Earth Resource Sciences and Engineering (CERSE).

Total number of students (enrolled in 2019): >6000

International Students: 11 %

Faculty: 625

World University Rankings (2020):

  • THE World University Rankings: 301-350th
  • QS World University Rankings by Subject: 1st in Engineering – Mineral and Mining

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

Duke University is a private institution that was founded in 1838. Duke University is divided into 10 schools and colleges, many of which serve both undergraduate and graduate students.

Its graduate programs include the highly ranked Fuqua School of Business, Pratt School of Engineering, School of Law, School of Medicine, Sanford School of Public Policy and School of Nursing. Duke also offers graduate programs through its well-respected Divinity School and Nicholas School of the Environment. The Fuqua School of Business’ Full-Time MBA program is consistently ranked among the top 5 programs in the USA.

Notable alumni include Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; NBA player Carlos Boozer; and former U.S. Congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Established in 1931, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is the United States national laboratory located near Berkeley, California that conducts unclassified scientific research on behalf of the United States Department of Energy. It is managed and operated by the University of California.

70 Lab scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), 15 of Lab scientists have won the National Medal of Science, 18 engineers have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and 3 scientists have been elected into the Institute of Medicine.

Berkeley Lab employs approximately 4000 people, 457 graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, each year the Lab hosts more than 2000 participating guests.

The National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

The National University of Singapore is the oldest higher learning institute in Singapore, as well as the largest university in the country in terms of student enrolment and curriculum offered.

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is a school of the National University of Singapore, which was launched in 2004. The School collaborates with John F. Kennedy School of Government, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, London School of Economics & Political Sciences, Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, and is a sole Asian member of Global Public Policy Network (GPPN).

The Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)

ORAU is a consortium of 121 American universities headquartered in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Its mission is the advancement of scientific research and education so as it provides operational capabilities and conducts research, education, and training in the areas of science and technology, national security, environmental safety and health, and environmental management.

Health physics and epidemiology continue to be major areas of activity for ORAU. Activities include radiological surveys, dose reconstruction, and health screening for workers who may have been exposed to radioactive material, beryllium, or other toxins.

The University of Cambridge

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research institution. Its 800-year history makes it the fourth-oldest surviving university in the world and the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world.

The university is split into 31 autonomous colleges where students receive small group teaching sessions known as college supervisions. Six schools are spread across the university’s colleges, housing roughly 150 faculties and other institutions. The six schools are Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology.

The university is home to over 100 libraries, which, between them, hold more than 15 million books in total. In the main Cambridge University library alone, which is a legal depository, there are eight million holdings. The university also owns nine arts, scientific and cultural museums that are open to the public throughout the year, as well as a botanical garden.

In total, 96 affiliates of the university have been awarded Nobel Prizes, covering every category.

Total number of students (enrolled in 2019): 23 390 (Undergraduate – 12 480; Graduate – 10 910)

Faculty: 7 913

International Students: 6 120

World University Rankings (2020):

  • THE World University Rankings: 3rd
  • QS World University Rankings: 7th

The University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1751 by Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

The University of Pennsylvania has 12 schools: Four offer undergraduate and graduate studies and eight offer only graduate studies. Its highly ranked graduate programs include its Wharton School, School of Education, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Law School and School of Medicine.

Penn’s other notable graduate programs include its Design School and School of Dental Medicine. More than 2,000 students each year participate in international study programs offered in more than 70 countries around the world.

Total number of students (enrolled in 2017): 25 367 (Undergraduate – 10 468; Graduate – 10 890)

International Students: 4 859 (19%)

Faculty: 4 722

World University Rankings (2020():

  • THE World University Rankings: 11th
  • QS World University Rankings: 15th

The University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related research university, founded as the Pittsburgh Academy in 1787. The university is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), which comprises 63 preeminent doctorate-granting research institutions in North America.

There are notable University of Pittsburgh alumni in almost every professional sector; some are famed football personalities Mike Ditka and Dan Marino; former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon; and Roscoe Robinson Jr., the first African-American four-star general in the U.S. Army.

Total number of students (enrolled in 2019): 32 745 (Undergraduate – 24 554; Graduate – 8 191)

International Students: 19 330

Faculty: 4 522

World University Rankings (2020):

  • THE World University Rankings: 113th
  • QS World University Rankings: 140th

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is an integrated global health enterprise established in 1939 at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. UPMC has nearly 85,000 employees, and is transforming health care by integrating more than 30 academic, community, and specialty hospitals, 4800 physicians, 600 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, a health insurance services division, and international and commercial services.

Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC is inventing new models of accountable, cost-efficient, and patient-centered care.

UPMC’s commercial and global initiatives include strategic business relationships with some of the world’s leading multinational corporations, and clinical operations and consulting relationships in countries that include Kazakhstan, Italy, Ireland, India, Canada, China, Japan, and Singapore.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin Madison is a public institution that was founded in 1848. The school’s legacy of public service was founded on the “Wisconsin Idea” that education should influence and improve people’s lives beyond the classroom.

The University of Wisconsin Madison’s highly ranked graduate schools include the School of Education, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, College of Engineering, School of Business, School of Medicine and Public Health and Law School.

Wisconsin alumni include former Vice President Dick Cheney, author Joyce Carol Oates, aviator Charles Lindbergh, naturalist John Muir, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Total number of students (enrolled in 2019): 45 317 (Undergraduate – 31 185; Graduate – 14 132)

International Students: 7108 students from 130 countries

Faculty: 2 220

World University Rankings (2020):

  • THE World University Rankings: 51st
  • QS World University Rankings: 56th