2026-2027 academic year
Scholarship program of the last 2025-2026 academic year
Scholarships for the Winners of the Intellectual Olympiad
Scholarships cover: 100% and 50% coverage of tuition
Important! Deposits and fees (accommodation and library), as well as compulsory fees (student, medical, etc.) are not covered by scholarship
Duration: 4 academic years (cannot be extended)
Quantity: 15 with 100% and 15 with 50% tuition
Citizenship: any
Selection criteria: 2026 graduates of Kazakhstan high/vocational school
Date: March 29, 2026 (Sunday)
Starting time: 10.00
Location: KIMEP University
Application deadline: March 15, 2026 inclusively
This information is intended for applicants entering the programs of the following Colleges:
– Bang College of Business
– College of Social Sciences
– College of Education and Humanities
– School of Computer Science and Mathematics
For applicants of “International Law” and “Jurisprudence”, an Olympiad will be held in the form of a Debate Tournament. The detailed information about the Debate Tournament is published here.
Important! You can take part in only one of the events – either the Debate Tournament or the Intellectual Olympiad
The maintenance criteria for this Scholarship during 4 AYs:
– keep full-time status in Fall and Spring semesters – register at least for 4 courses or 12 credits per indicated semester;
– overall GPA after semester minimum 3.50;
– retaken and withdrawn courses are not covered.
How to apply for the KIMEP Intellectual Olympiad:
1. Fill out the Scholarship Registration form.
2. Upload an electronic copy of the identity card/passport.
3. Upload a copy of the certificate from the school/college, which confirms graduation (11/12).
4. Upload a valid certificate of IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Duolingo, CEFR, Cambridge FCE (B2 First), LanguageCert Academic or PTE Academic.
5. Check the status of your application in the Registration Form in the “Account” link, “Status Application” tab, and also expect a letter from us (finaid@kimep.kz) within 2-3 weeks after filling out/updating your application.
Participants with incomplete application will not be allowed to participate in the Olympiad
The Intellectual Olympiad will be conducted on KIMEP University campus and will consist of 2 stages:
Until March 15 (inclusively) participants should provide international certificates of IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT, Duolingo, CEFR, Cambridge FCE (B2 First), LanguageCert Academic or PTE Academic.
Passing score for the second stage: IELTS Academic — 5.5 (not less than 5.0 in each section); TOEFL iBT — 51-66 (R 12-15; L 12-15; S 17-18; W 14-18); Duolingo — 95 (not less than 90 in each section); CEFR — B2; Cambridge FCE — 160; LanguageCert Academic — 60; PTE Academic — 39.
Students who have scored passing points will be invited to the second stage of the Olympiad.
Important! All exams will be held on March 29, 2026 in Almaty on KIMEP University campus
The Olympiad participants applying for “Management”, “Marketing”, “Finance”, “Accounting and Audit”, “Information Systems”, “Computer Science”, “Economics” will take Math Exam.
Exam duration: 2 hours
Exam participants are evaluated based on the results of solving mathematical tasks. The proposed mathematical tasks are not standard and can be compared with classical tasks of the Olympiad type. Competitors are expected to demonstrate their logical and analytical thinking.
Exam structure:
Competitors will be given six Mathematics problems to solve. They consist of:
– 2 easy problems, based on high school program (worth 10 points each);
– 2 medium problems using logical thinking (worth 15 points each);
– 2 advanced problems of Olympiad level (worth 25 points each).
The maximum score for the Math Exam is 100 points.
Evaluation criteria:
The Organizing Committee will make decisions regarding each competitor’s grades in mathematics. Competitors in the field of mathematics are expected to provide full detailed solutions and answers to the problems they were asked in their paper. Original and creative solutions will be encouraged and appreciated.
To prepare for the Mathematics Exam, you can use the following sources:
1) pdf-file in Russian “Collection of tasks in Mathematics for those entering the technical universities under the editorship of M.I.Skanavi” with answers inside;
2) pdf-file in Russian “Collection of tasks for a written examination in Mathematics for the course of secondary school. 11 grade. G.V.Dorofeev”. Answers to the collection in Russian here;
3) pdf-file in Russian“Mathematical olympiads for schoolchildren. I.S.Petrakov” with answers inside;
4) pdf-file in Russian “The tasks of mathematical olympiads. I.L.Babinskaya” with the answers inside;
5) Any other sources of such manual.
The Olympiad participants applying for “International Relations”, “Journalism”, “Public and Municipal Administration“, “Psychology”, “Cognitive Sciences”, “Political Science” will take World History and History of Kazakhstan Exam.
Exam duration: 2 hours
Exam structure:
1. Multiple choice test, includes 30 questions about World History. The total amount of points is equal to 30.
To prepare for the World History Exam, you can use the following textbook “The World History. Social and humanitarian direction. Part 2. R.R.Kairbekova” –pdf-file in Russian.
2. Writing essay in English. The essay must be written in at least 500 words. Correct spelling and grammar are taken into account. The maximum score for an essay is 70 points.
Essay writing is divided into the following stages:
– Brief introduction: it should contain justification(s) of the relevance of the chosen topic; – it should present the argument of your essay to the reader.
– Main part: it would answer in an organized and logical way the questions as part of the topic; it must persuade and convince the reader (and marker) that you understand the topic well. Every sentence and every paragraph should be relevant to the question, and provide a step-by-step link in the development of the argument.
– Conclusion: it should summarize the main points and arguments of the essay.
Essay topics for the History of Kazakhstan:
General topic is: Kazakhstan in a World of Global Change
Subtopics: will be given during the exam
The Olympiad participants applying for “Translation Studies”, “Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages” will take Exam of World History and Translation studies, language teaching and learning
Exam duration: 2 hours
Exam structure:
1. Multiple choice test, includes 30 questions about World History. The total amount of points is equal to 30.
To prepare for the World History Exam, you can use the following textbook “The World History. Social and humanitarian direction. Part 2. R.R.Kairbekova” –pdf-file in Russian.
2. Writing essay in English. The essay must be written in in 250 to 500 words. The maximum score for an essay is 70 points.
Essay topics for Exam:
General topic is: related to translation studies, language teaching and learning
Subtopics: will be given during the exam
The finished essay should be in line with the following requirements:
1. Is the introduction short, clear and corresponds to the topic?
2. Do you formulate one main and clear idea in each paragraph?
3. Are the paragraphs represented in a logical sequence?
4. What arguments do you use to support your ideas?
5. Do you acknowledge opposite opinions?
6. Do you avoid repetitions and generalizations?
7. Is your conclusion brief and relevant to the topic?
8. Do you use appropriate grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation?
Important! The essay should reflect the author’s personal experience, opinion, and background knowledge on the topic.
Evaluation criteria:
The essays will be assessed according to the IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors (public version).
Suggested Literature for Preparation:
1. Academic Writing from Paragraph to Essay, 2010, by Dorothy E Zemach; Lisa Rumisek
2. Engaging Writing 2: Essential Skills for Academic Writing, 2nd Edition, 2011, by Mary Fitzpatrick
3. Essay Writing For English Tests, 2001, by Gabi Duigu
4. Writing High School Essays With Advanced English Grammar: Book 2, 2016, by Quek Boon Chuan
5. Writing Essays: A guide for students in English and the humanities, 2015, by Richard Marggraf Turley
Results will be announced: early May
– The Organizing Committee of the Olympiad distributes scholarships based on the exam scores.
– In case of getting the same score, the Organizing Committee can apply additional criteria (English score, interview, etc).
– The KIMEP Olympiad provides for a 100% scholarship for the 1st place winner and a 50% scholarship for the 2nd place winner.
– Candidates who received less than 50% for the exam, can not be awarded a scholarship.
– The waiting list will be formed in case of scholarship’s redistribution. Only candidates with a total score of 50% or higher are included in the waiting list.
– The scholarship is provided for the study of a program that is indicated in applicant’s Olympiad Registration form.
– Awarded students cannot change their study program, otherwise their grant will be canceled.
– The winners of the Olympiad are required to fulfill the admission requirements prescribed by the rules of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the internal admission policy of KIMEP University, including the UNT with the appropriate Specialized Subjects.
Scholarships for the Winners of the Debate Tournament
For applicants of “International Law” and “Jurisprudence”, an Olympiad will be held in the form of a Debate Tournament. The detailed information about the Debate Tournament is published here.
Important! You can take part in only one of the events – either the Debate Tournament or the Intellectual Olympiad
Summer distribution of internal scholarships
Internal scholarships that will be distributed in the summer – will be announced later