University of Central Asia

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University; ratified by the respective parliaments, and registered with the United Nations. The Presidents are the Patrons of UCA and His Highness is the Chancellor.

UCA brings with it the commitment and partnership of the broader Aga Khan Development Network, offering an internationally recognised standard of higher education in Central Asia. UCA’s conceptualisation and inception as a regional university is derived from recommendations set forth by the Commission on the Establishment of an International Institution of Higher Education, a panel comprised of distinguished international and regional members who met extensively from 1995 to 1998.

UCA’s mission is to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain societies, while at the same time helping the different peoples of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions and heritages as assets for the future. UCA seeks to contribute leadership, ideas, and innovations to the transitioning economies and communities of the region through modern educational and vigorous research programmes that produce knowledgeable, skilled and creative graduates.

UCA consists of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (the first operational division of the University); and the School of Arts and Sciences (undergraduate), and the Graduate School of Development that will be launched when the three campuses are built in Khorog, Naryn, and Tekeli. The University provides three additional initiatives to build teaching and scholarly capacity in the region through its Central Asian Faculty Development Programme, the Aga Khan Humanities Project, andResearch Programme.