Kazakhstan’s university diplomas will be officially recognized in Japan, China, and South Korea, following the ratification of the Asia-Pacific convention on higher education qualifications.

Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Science and Higher Education, Talgat Yeshenkulov, outlined new steps to support students studying abroad, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

The Senate recently ratified the Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education (Tokyo Convention) under the UNESCO framework.

The agreement sets uniform rules for diploma recognition among countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Mongolia, and others.

“Kazakhstan adopts common standards, mandatory official information exchange, and accelerated procedures for verifying educational documents,” Senate officials said.

Yeshenkulov emphasized that ratifying the convention provides unique opportunities for both Kazakh citizens studying abroad and international students choosing Kazakhstan for higher education. Previously, graduates from foreign universities had to undergo a lengthy nostrification process to have their diplomas recognized in Kazakhstan. This involved verifying the university’s accreditation, confirming student attendance, and comparing credentials against Kazakh standards.

With the new convention, the process will be streamlined: ministries can access official databases in participating countries, quickly verify qualifications, and issue recognition decisions in much shorter timeframes. Yeshenkulov said this simplifies diploma recognition and allows students to receive official acknowledgment of their education in Kazakhstan faster than ever.