Study in Uzbekistan for Pakistani Students: Universities, Fields Beyond Medicine, Fees, Language, Visa, Safety, Scholarships and What to Verify Before Enrolling

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Study in Uzbekistan for Pakistani students has gone from a footnote to a serious option in a few years. The country opened to foreign students after 2017, its state medical universities began English-medium intakes, foreign universities opened Tashkent campuses, and after the May 2024 Bishkek attacks many Pakistani families looked for a Central Asian destination with a quieter record. This guide covers the universities, fields, costs, language, visa, safety and recognition, with the checks that matter before you pay.

For medicine specifically, read our MBBS in Uzbekistan guide; for the visa, our visa guide.

Why Uzbekistan has moved up the list

• Low fees: consultants quote medical tuition of about USD 1,700–2,200 a semester, per EaziLine.
• Established state universities with Soviet-era foundations and modern English tracks.
• Direct flights between Pakistan and Tashkent.
• A calm safety record for foreign students and a Muslim-majority culture.
• Government reforms that welcome foreign students and foreign investment, including IT Park incentives, per IT Park.

Universities and fields

• Medicine: Tashkent Medical Academy, Samarkand State Medical University, Bukhara State Medical Institute, Andijan State Medical Institute, Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute, Fergana Medical Institute of Public Health, per RMC Edu.
• IT and engineering: Tashkent University of Information Technologies, Tashkent State Technical University, Inha University in Tashkent.
• Business and economics: Westminster International University in Tashkent, Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent, Tashkent State University of Economics.
• Languages and humanities: University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.

Medicine

Six-year English-medium MBBS tracks at the state universities above, with fees of roughly USD 3,400–4,400 a year plus hostel and mess, per EaziLine. Admission is on FSc with science subjects at age 17 or over, per RMC Edu. PM&DC’s rules apply: 60% FSc, 50% MDCAT, free registration at srf.pmdc.pk, ECFMG listing on WDOMS, 6,200 hours, six months of local language, and the NRE, per the policy. See our best medical universities guide.

IT, engineering and business

Tashkent’s technical and economic universities run bachelor’s and master’s programs in Uzbek, Russian and, increasingly, English; fees run about USD 1,500–3,500 a year at state institutions. The government’s IT Park ecosystem, with tax incentives for resident companies, per IT Park, gives IT graduates a local employment route. HEC equivalence applies on return; see our HEC guide, which covers the same process for Central Asian degrees.

Foreign branch campuses in Tashkent

Westminster International University, Inha University (Korea), MDIS (Singapore) and several Russian university branches operate in Tashkent, teaching in English with fees of roughly USD 3,000–6,000 a year. Their degrees are issued by or in partnership with the parent institution; check which body awards the degree and how HEC treats it before enrolling.

Admission requirements

• FSc or A-levels for bachelor’s; a four-year bachelor’s for master’s.
• IBCC or HEC attestation and MOFA apostille; Uzbekistan is an Apostille Convention member; see our attestation guide.
• Passport, photos, medical certificate, and for some programs an interview or entrance test.
• No IELTS at state universities; branch campuses may ask for IELTS or an internal test.

Fees and living costs

Medicine about USD 3,400–4,400 a year; hostel USD 300–500 a year; mess about USD 600, per EaziLine. Non-medical state programs USD 1,500–3,500. Living costs outside the mess are low; Tashkent is dearer than Samarkand, Bukhara or Andijan. See our cost of living guide.

Language

Uzbek is the state language; Russian is widely used in cities, hospitals and universities. English-medium foreign cohorts exist in medicine and at branch campuses, but clinical rotations, government offices and daily life run in Uzbek and Russian. PM&DC’s six-month pre-departure language rule applies to medical students where instruction is not in English. Russian is the more useful second language for a Pakistani student across the corridor; see our language guide.

Visa

The tourist e-visa at e-visa.gov.uz is 30 days and USD 20 and is not for study; the study visa is issued on a university invitation through the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Islamabad or, where the university arranges it, on arrival, with consular fees by duration, per the Uzbek MFA. Sources conflict on Pakistani e-visa eligibility; it is irrelevant for study. Plan four to six weeks from admission to travel. See our visa guide.

Safety and daily life

Uzbekistan is tightly policed, and there has been no attack on South Asian student hostels of the kind Bishkek saw in May 2024, when Pakistan evacuated thousands from Kyrgyzstan, per the Express Tribune. Halal food is the default, mosques are everywhere, and hostels have separate female floors as standard. Register with the Pakistan Embassy in Tashkent on arrival; see our safety guide.

Scholarships

Uzbekistan has no large government scholarship for foreigners comparable to Kazakhstan’s 550 places or Russia’s quota. Some universities offer merit discounts, and branch campuses run their own awards. Pakistani students who want funding in the corridor should apply to Russia’s Open Doors and quota, Kazakhstan’s program and Azerbaijan’s grant; see our Kazakhstan scholarship guide.

Recognition in Pakistan

• Medicine: PM&DC via ECFMG listing and the NRE; old PMC “B category” labels are irrelevant now.
• Other fields: HEC equivalence for state-accredited universities and full-time programs, per HEC’s procedure page.
• Branch campuses: depends on which institution awards the degree; ask HEC before enrolling.

What to verify before enrolling

1. The exact institution on WDOMS (medicine) or HEC’s recognised list (other fields).
2. Total contact hours and medium of instruction per year, in writing.
3. Whether hostel and mess are compulsory and what they cost.
4. How many Pakistani graduates of that program have passed the NRE or obtained HEC equivalence.
5. The visa route the university arranges and its timeline.
6. The university’s own fee invoice, not an agent’s.

Bottom line

Study in Uzbekistan for Pakistani students offers the corridor’s lowest medical fees at established state universities, a growing English-medium non-medical sector, a calm safety record and direct flights. The trade-offs are a shorter NRE track record, Uzbek and Russian in clinical and daily life, and no large scholarship. Verify the institution on WDOMS or HEC’s list, get hours and medium in writing, use the university’s invitation route for the visa, and register with PM&DC before you fly.