The Kyrgyz National University, named after Jusup Balasagyn (Kyrgyz: Жусуп Баласагын атындагы Кыргыз Улуттук Университети, romanized: Zhusup Balasagyn atyndagy Kyrgyz Uluttuk Universiteti; Russian: Кыргызский национальный университет имени Жусупа Баласагына, romanized: Kyrgyzskiy natsional'nyy universitet imeni Zhusupa Balasagyna), is a national university in Kyrgyzstan.

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Kyrgyz National University

Kyrgyz: Жусуп Баласагын атындагы Кыргыз Улуттук Университети Russian: Кыргызский национальный университет имени Жусупа Баласагына
Latin: Universitas Nationalis Chirgisica
Other name	KNU
Type	State
Established	1925 (99 years ago) (1925)
Location	Bishkek ,  Kyrgyzstan
Website	www.knu.kg
Building details
General information
Location	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Coordinates	42.8824°N 74.5871°E / 42.8824; 74.5871
Completed	1925

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Kyrgyz National University is located in the capital city of Bishkek. It is the oldest and the largest Higher Education Institution of the Kyrgyz Republic. The institution was established on 25 October 1925 as the Kyrgyz Institute of Education.

In August 2023, Kyrgyz National University Faculty of Medicine has established an MOU with Yenepoya university.^[1] During the meeting, issues of establishing and further developing mutually beneficial cooperation between the two universities in the field of education, science, culture and other areas were discussed. The Indian side was also interested in the medical faculty of KNU. At the end of the meeting, the rector of KNU Mr.Tolobek Abdyrakhmanov and Vice chancellor of Yenepoya university, Mr. Mohammad Farhaad, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Kyrgyz National University named after Zhusup Balasagyn and Yenepoya University. Yenepoya International Education based in Bishkek will be the official academic partners globally for Kyrgyz National University named after Zhusup Balasagyn in the Faculty of medicine from the year 2023 September and has thus become the first university in Central Asia to start a Faculty of Medicine in association with an International university. Kyrgyz National University named after Zhusup Balasagyn will also fulfill the international regulatory requirements for medical education including USMLE,UKMLE,NMC,ECFMG and others. From the year 2023 with this new collaboration the Kyrgyz National University will offers a 6 year MD Physician program using the teaching platform of Yenepoya International Education and Yenepoya University, India.

On October 25, 1925, it was decided to open the Institute of Education. This was to solve the issue of training pedagogical personnel on the territory of the Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic. In 1928, by the decision of the government of the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Institute of Education was transformed into the Kirghiz Central Pedagogical Technical School. In August 1929, the institution added new buildings and equipment, as well as invited specialists and teachers from other Soviet republics. On 13 January 1932, by the decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, it was transformed into the Kyrgyz State Pedagogical Institute, named after Mikhail Frunze. There were 4 faculties in the institute: physics and mathematics, biology, literature and the faculty of social sciences. The first academic year began on October 3, 1933.

On 1 September 1939, the Kyrgyz Medical Academy was established with the recruitment of 200 students. On 21 May 1951, it was transformed into the Kyrgyz State University, with the following faculties: philology, biology, physics, mathematics, history, geology and geodesy. In the decree adopted by the Council of Ministers of the Kyrgyz SSR, the Kyrgyz State University belonged to higher educational institutions of the first category.

On December 11, 1972 it was renamed as the Kyrgyz State University on the 50th anniversary of the USSR. In 1982, the university was awarded the Soviet Union's Order of the Red Banner of Labor. On 11 August 1993, it was transformed into the Kyrgyz State National University (KGNU). By decree of President Askar Akayev on 11 May 2002, it was renamed after Yusuf Balasaghuni (Kyrgyz: Жусуп Баласагын).^[2]

There is the Academical Worker's Union Committee, which defends the professional interests of educators. The supervisory function in the KNU is performed by the Board of Trustees, which includes prominent public figures, scientists and graduates. There are 8 members in total in the Board of Trustees. The highest collegiate management body in the KNU is the Scientific Council, in which there are 63 members.^[3]

The university's magazine, Vestnik, has been published since 1997. Vestnik is a scientific, educational, and informational publication registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Vestnik is included on the list of leading peer-reviewed scientific journals and publications recommended by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic. The license agreement on the inclusion of the magazine in the list of publications the system of the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI) was signed on 1 March 2016.

The educational process in KNU takes place in the following directions:

• Undergraduate: on campus and in absentia; 56 programs.
• Five year study: on campus and in absentia; 5 programs.
• Magistracy: on campus and in absentia; 32 programs.
• Secondary vocational education: on campus and in absentia; 14 programs.
• At the Faculty of Economics and Pedagogy in the city of Osh - in absentia; 10 programs.

The educational process follows the Bologna Process.

Below is a list of rectors of KNU.

• 1951-1954 - B. Zhamgyrchinov
• 1954-1960 - B. Yunusaliev
• 1960-1977 - S. Tabyshaliev
• 1977-1979 - M. Imanaliev
• 1979-1986 - K. Otorbaev
• 1986-1992 - U. Asanov
• 1992-1998 - S. Toktomyshev
• 1998-2000 - A. Borubayev
• 2000-2005 - A. Kakeev
• 2005-2006 - I. Bolzhurova (Acting)
• 2006-2008 - Y. Omurkanov
• 2008-2009 - A. Bekbalaev
• 2010-2011 - A. Akunov
• 2011-2014 - I. Isamidinov
• 2015-2017 - C. Adamkulova
• 2017 - K. Sadykov.^{[citation needed]}

As of the 2016-2017 academic year, there were 2,654 teaching staff at KNU. Of them, 1,908 people or 71.9% of the total number of full-time teachers held a scientific degree.

KNU also employs around 271 part-time or non-teaching staff. Of these employees, 183 (or 67.5%) also hold a top degree.

Counting both full-time and part-time instructors, KNU employed 67 professors and 339 associate professors.

• Turdakun Usubaliev - First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kyrgyzstan, 1961–1985
• Shabdanbai Abdyramanov - People's Writer of Kyrgyzstan
• Andrey Adamovskiy - Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist
• Kazat Akmatov - People's Writer of Kirghizia
• Zholbors Zhorobekov - Kyrgyz political scientist
• Aron Brudny - Kirghiz scientist, psychologist and philosopher
• Medi Mamazairova - Kirghiz poet, Honored Worker of Culture of Kyrgyzstan
• Vladimir Ploski - Kirghiz scientist
• Shatman Sadybakasov - Kyrgyz journalist and editor
• ZAMAY - Kyrgyz-Russian rapper
• Ozgorush Sharshekeev - Kyrgyz scientist
• Alykul Osmonov - Kyrgyz poet, significant for his efforts to modernizing poetry in Kyrgyzstan
• Mukhamed Tsikanov - Russian statesman from Kabardino-Balkaria
• Rakhat Achylova - sociologist and member of the Supreme Council

The KNU Scientific Library is one of the largest university libraries in Kyrgyzstan. The scientific library was established in 1932 on the basis of the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Institute.

In 1941, the library's book stock was 134,000 texts, many obtained from the universities of Moscow, Leningrad and other major cities of the USSR. In 1951 the KNU library received educational, scientific and artistic literature from universities in Odessa, Kiev, Kharkov, Kazakh and Tomsk, as well as from the Academies of Sciences of Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Today, the library is located in 8 educational buildings and has 60 employees.

^[1]