The Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation has launched its 2026 scholarship program, offering monthly stipends to twenty students across Kazakhstan. The competition is open to citizens of Kazakhstan who are currently enrolled in their second or third year of undergraduate study – or years two through five for students in medical programs – focusing on natural sciences, technical fields, medicine, and information technology.
Each scholarship will provide 70,000 tenge per month for a period of twelve months. Applicants must be over the age of 18 to be eligible. The foundation aims to support the development of technical and natural sciences within Kazakhstan by providing financial assistance to promising students.
The application process requires candidates to complete an online form available on the foundation’s website, yessenovfoundation.org. Alongside the application, students must submit a scanned copy of their identification document and an essay responding to the prompt: “Is it easy to become a professional in the modern world?” The foundation advises applicants to prepare these documents in advance, noting that file uploads should not exceed 5MB in size.
According to the foundation, a stable internet connection of at least 5 Mbps is recommended for completing the online application, which is estimated to seize approximately 20 minutes. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation message on their screen after submitting their application.
The program, which began in 2013, initially focused solely on students at Satbayev University but has since expanded to include students from over 30 higher education institutions throughout the country. The deadline for applications is March 3rd, 2026.
