Uzbekistan enacts sweeping higher education reforms to prohibit non-academic student labor and standardize degree programs

New Uzbekistan regulations bar universities from assigning students to non-study work and align the national credit system with European ECTS standards.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 7:49 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Kun.uz

Protecting the Integrity of the Academic Experience

Uzbekistan has officially implemented revised higher education regulations designed to safeguard students from being utilized for non-academic labor. Registered on April 3, the new legal framework explicitly prevents universities from assigning students to tasks or work projects that do not fall within the scope of their specific academic programs. This move by the Ministry of Justice aims to ensure that the educational journey remains focused on skill acquisition and intellectual development, rather than providing a source of labor for unrelated institutional or regional activities.

Aligning with International Credit Standards

A central component of the updated rules is the formal introduction of a national credit module system. This system is designed to be fully compatible with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), facilitating greater international mobility and recognition for Uzbek students. By adopting this standardized approach to measuring academic progress, the government intends to modernize the nation’s higher education infrastructure, making it more transparent and comparable to global university systems.

Differentiated Timelines for Varied Learning Formats

The regulation maintains a clear distinction between bachelor’s and master’s degree levels while introducing specific duration requirements for different study formats. Bachelor’s programs will remain a minimum of three years for full-time students. However, to maintain academic rigor across all delivery methods, part-time programs must now be at least one academic year longer than their full-time equivalents. Similarly, evening programs are required to extend at least half a year beyond the standard full-time duration to ensure comprehensive coverage of the curriculum.