The number of foreign students studying in higher education institutions in Azerbaijan continues to increase in recent years. In the last academic year, 7472 foreign citizens studied at bachelor's and master's levels in state and private higher education institutions. This figure was 6680 in the 2024-2023 academic year and 5256 in the 2020-2021 academic years.
Modern.az conducted a survey among universities to determine which higher education institutions foreign students primarily attend in the 2025–2026 academic year.
The higher education institution most frequented by foreign students in our country is Azerbaijan Medical University. Here, 2216 foreign citizens are studying. Of these, 1045 are citizens of Turkey, 413 of Iran, 251 of India, 115 of Russia, and 95 of Syria. Additionally, the number of students with Pakistani citizenship is 57, Georgia 45, Iraq 24, Jordan 26, and Egypt 16.
Furthermore, it is reported that 9 students, 3 residents, and 1 master's student from Kazakhstan, 11 students and 1 doctoral student from Yemen, 12 students and 1 resident from Palestine, 2 students and 1 resident from Lebanon, and 3 students and 1 resident from Chad are studying in Azerbaijan.
The information also includes countries represented by a small number of students. One or more individuals from the USA, Israel, Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, Indonesia, Libya, Eritrea, Suriname, Mauritania, Zambia, Malawi, Nepal, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Mali, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Honduras, Colombia, Maldives, Burundi, Djibouti, Gambia, and other countries are studying in Azerbaijan.
According to information from Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC), there are currently 669 foreign students from 31 countries studying at this university.
The countries with the most students are Georgia, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Specifically, 258 students from Georgia, 255 from Russia, 33 from Turkey, 27 from Kazakhstan, and 21 from Ukraine are studying at UNEC.
The total number of foreign students studying at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy in the 2025-2026 academic year is 243. Of the foreign students, 68 are citizens of Russia, 65 of Georgia, 14 of Kazakhstan, 11 of Iran, and 9 of Tajikistan.
It has been reported that currently, more than 500 foreign students in total are studying at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. Turkey ranks first with 82 individuals, followed by Georgia with 54 individuals, and Russia with 46 individuals. An interesting point is that Syria and Somalia are also among the top five countries. Specifically, the number of Syrian students studying at ASOIU is 13, and the number of Somali citizens is 11.
In response to our inquiry from Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, it was stated that a total of 110 foreign citizens are studying at the university. The majority of students – 49 individuals – are citizens of Turkey, 32 of Georgia, and 18 of Russia.
It has been reported by Baku Slavic University that currently 170 foreign students are studying at this higher education institution. Regarding the representation of foreign students by country, it was noted that the main part consists of citizens from Georgia, Russia, China, Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.
As for private universities, currently 126 foreign students are studying at Azerbaijan Eurasia University. The top 5 countries with the most foreign students are Pakistan with 53 individuals, followed by Nigeria with 22 individuals, and then Georgia with 15 individuals. The top five is completed by Russia with 13 individuals and Turkey with 8 individuals.
It has been reported by the press service of Khazar University that currently, approximately 120 foreign students are studying at the university. They are mainly citizens of Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, 40 foreign students are studying at Azerbaijan University. Of these, 19 individuals are citizens of Georgia, 9 of Turkey, 4 of Pakistan, 3 of Russia, 2 of Syria, 1 of Kazakhstan, 1 of Morocco, and 1 of Afghanistan.
P.S: Baku State University and Baku Higher Oil School were not included in the article as they did not respond to the survey.
