Competing Scenarios for Internationalisation of Higher Education in Kazakhstan

This article analyses the current developments of scenarios for internationalisation in Kazakhstan. With Kazakhstan’s admission to the Bologna Process, new opportunities for cooperation with Kazakhstani universities opened up. The article elaborates Kazakhstani and European strategies for internationalisation, analyses opportunities and obstacles for partnerships and presents the country’s current competing scenarios of internationalisation. Based on historical ties, on strategies of collaboration with new neighbours or the bond with Turkic countries, various scenarios of internationalisation are currently developing in Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, Europe is found to represent an important point of reference for education standards and a key partner in the context of Kazakhstan’s endeavour to become a leading economy.