A high UNT score by itself does not guarantee an educational grant. This was reported by Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek on his Telegram channel. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to him, grants are distributed on a competitive basis for each direction. Therefore, not only scores matter, but also the number of grants, the number of participants, and the level of competition.
"An applicant with 120 points may not receive a grant for a highly competitive direction if the number of applicants significantly exceeds the number of grants. At the same time, an applicant with 100 points may qualify for a grant in a direction with less competition," the minister gave an example.
Nurbek noted that the threshold score gives the right to participate in the competition, but does not guarantee admission. The passing score is determined after the competition.
"A grant is the result of a competition, not just a high score," the minister emphasized.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that this year more than 75 thousand applicants became holders of state educational grants.
The day before, Nurbek addressed Kazakhstani applicants who did not receive state educational grants, asking them not to despair and not to stop on the way to their dream.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has started accepting applications for participation in the competition for grants allocated by akimats. In addition, universities themselves provide more than two thousand own educational grants. Universities also offer tuition discounts and named scholarships.
How does the grant distribution mechanism work?
As the minister explained, competition for each direction is taken into account when distributing grants. This means that even an applicant with a high score may not receive a grant for popular specialties, while a candidate with a lower score can easily qualify for directions with less competition.
Advice for applicants
The minister urged applicants not to despair and to consider other opportunities besides the state grant. In particular, there are akimat grants, universities' own grants, discounts and scholarships.
Additional opportunities
Recall that this year applications for grants allocated by akimats have started. Also, universities of the country provide their own grants, which gives applicants additional chances. Universities assign tuition discounts and named scholarships.