Борбордук Азиядагы Америка Университети Американский университет в Центральной Азии | |
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Former names | Kyrgyz American School American University in Kyrgyzstan (AUK) |
|---|---|
| Motto | Knowledge, Wisdom, Freedom |
| Type | University |
| Established | 1993 |
| President | Timothy O'Connor[1] |
| Vice-president | Chyngyz Shamshiev |
Academic staff | 310 |
Administrative staff | 120 |
| Undergraduates | 1200 |
| Location | , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Blue and gold |
| Website | www |
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| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| QS World[2] | 901-950 (2026) |
| Regional – Overall | |
| QS Asia[3] | =262 (2026) |
| QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia[4] | 138 (2022) |
TheAmerican University of Central Asia (AUCA) (Kyrgyz:Борбордук Азиядагы Америка Университети;Russian:Американский Университет Центральной Азии), formerly theKyrgyz-American School and theAmerican University in Kyrgyzstan, is aliberal artsuniversity located inBishkek, the capital of theKyrgyz Republic.
AUCA began its existence in 1993 as the Kyrgyz-American School, a specialist school within theKyrgyz State National University in Bishkek.[5][6] In 1997, it was established as an independent institution and given a new name, the American University in Kyrgyzstan.[7] Funding was provided by theUnited States government and theOpen Society Institute, anNGO established by Hungarian philanthropistGeorge Soros. One of its founders washuman rights attorney and journalistScott Horton.[8]
In 2002, AUCA adopted its current name, to reflect both that its student body was drawn from many countries, and the university's goal was to serve the entire region.[5] While the university focuses on offering higher education opportunities to Central Asian students, its student body and faculty increasingly come from all over Asia and other parts of the world.
In March 2010, AUCA established a partnership withBard College located inNew York State in the United States. The partnership allows students of American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, European Studies, International and Comparative Politics, Journalism and Mass Communications, Psychology, Sociology, and Software Engineering programs to receive liberal arts degrees fully accredited in the US.[5]
According to theUSAID accreditation report, "AUCA is the first higher education institution in Central Asia that functions according to the American model, with acredit-hour system, an American-styleliberal arts curriculum, and a commitment to democratic values, freedom of expression and inquiry, and academic integrity and honesty."[9]
The university is chartered in Kyrgyzstan and is authorized by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education to offer the Kyrgyz National Diploma in eleven undergraduate programs and one graduate program, anMBA. AUCA also offers American-style diplomas, and students are required to take courses in bothRussian andEnglish.
After theUS troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and the subsequent collapse of theIslamic Republic of Afghanistan, a number of Afghan students continued their studies at AUCA.[10] The 2022 AUCA commencement was a joint events with students graduating from theAmerican University of Afghanistan.[11]
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The former main building of American University of Central Asia was constructed in the 1930s and was used by the Central Committee of theCommunist Party of the Kirghiz SSR, and by theSupreme Soviet of theKirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic.[12]
Portraits ofVladimir Lenin,Karl Marx, andFriedrich Engels still hang in the conference hall of the old main building of AUCA, while the coat of arms of the Kirghiz SSR is kept on the facade of the building.[13]
In 2008 Iskhak Masaliev, then a Kyrgyz parliament member from theParty of Communists of Kyrgyzstan, called to change the location of AUCA, because of the "historic value" of the current main building.[14]
The new building, opened in 2015, has four stories and is centered around a forum that serves as the main meeting place. The main building usesgeothermal heating andrainwater harvesting to reduce its environmental impact.[15] The building was designed by New York based architect Henry Myerberg and is located to the south of the central part of Bishkek.[16]
The university offers full-time and part-time programs to prepare students for university study. The programs include an intensive course of English language learning, College Mathematics and university-level academic classes.Participants can also complete program in the Russian language. Students able to apply for the scholarship program.[17]
The university offers American-styleBachelor of Arts degrees in 15 undergraduate programs:[18]
The university's General Education Program offers units from a core curriculum, that may be taken towards credits in any undergraduate program.[18]
In addition to its undergraduate programs, AUCA offers professional programs in ten of Kyrgyzstan's "most needed specialties."[18] These are:
AUCA Library provides information resources and services in support of teaching, learning and research. The library holds about 60,000 items in its print collection of books, textbooks, manuscripts and other materials. The library provides access to 30online databases. The Library of AUCA partnered with Kyrgyz Libraries Information Consortium in 2006 to initiate Open Access in Kyrgyzstan. The American University of Central Asia acted as the pilot university for the Electronic Archive program.[19] Today, the library offers open access to 21 different resources, all listed on the website.[20]
In 2026, American University of Central Asia was ranked 262nd among universities in Asia and 14th among universities in Central Asia byQuacquarelli SymondsUniversity Rankings.[21] The same organization ranked its as 138th among universities from the emerging Europe and Central Asia region in 2022.[22][23]
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