In the 2026 entrance exams for higher education institutions in Uzbekistan, 37.5% of applicants failed to achieve the minimum passing score of 56.7 points. This was announced by Sardor Rajabov, First Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, at a press conference in Tashkent on August 18.
According to Rajabov, 677,900 applicants registered online for bachelor's degree programs this year. Tests were conducted in 64 large-capacity buildings across the country, all equipped with video surveillance systems. The process was broadcast online for parents.
The ministry official noted that after the tests, over 389,000 applicants qualified for the competition. As a result, 209,000 young people were recommended for admission. Of these, 52,800 were admitted on state grants, and 156,300 on a fee-contract basis.
"This year, admission opportunities have also been expanded. The total admission quota for bachelor's degree programs was 201,700, an increase of 6,400 compared to last year. In particular, the number of places in full-time education increased significantly. State grant places were also increased by more than 36,000," Rajabov said.
He noted that admission parameters were formed taking into account labor market needs, priority educational directions, and the capabilities of higher education institutions. In particular, attention has been strengthened to modern areas such as information technology and artificial intelligence.
"This is not accidental. Today we need a new generation of specialists not only in existing professions but also for the new economy," the deputy minister said.
According to him, Tashkent State University of Economics, Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, and National University of Uzbekistan led in applicant choices. The most popular directions were medical care, economics, and philology and language teaching (English).
"Our youth, on the one hand, show high interest in medicine, economics, and foreign languages, and on the other hand, the aspiration for modern technological professions is growing," he said.
According to the analysis presented by Rajabov, passing scores also increased this year. The average passing score for state grants was 134.6 points, and for fee-contract, 93.7 points. Last year, these figures were 121.8 and 84.9 points, respectively.
"This shows that competition has intensified. But for us, a high passing score is not an end in itself. The main task is to provide quality education to young people admitted as students and prepare them as competitive specialists for the labor market," he said.
The deputy minister stated that within the framework of established benefits, 20,500 applicants were recommended for admission.
He emphasized that this year, the number of applicants scoring below 56.7 points was 230,935, or 37.54%. This figure was 41.9% in 2025, 43% in 2024, and 46% in 2023.
"The number of those scoring below 56.7 points is decreasing year by year. This in itself shows that the entrance scores of applicants, the average score, are increasing, and the level of knowledge is improving," the deputy minister said.
Rajabov reminded that there are additional opportunities for young people not recommended for admission. These include using benefits provided by law, acquiring modern professions and specialties in technical schools, and applying to non-state higher education institutions.
According to Rajabov, it is planned to open an additional selection opportunity for the sixth direction. "We plan to open this issue in the coming weeks. If there are vacant places in the sixth direction and it matches your set of subjects, the opportunity to choose this direction will be opened," he said.
Earlier, Minister of Higher Education Kongratbay Sharipov stated that the number of applicants failing to score the minimum mark in entrance exams has decreased from 46% to 34% over the past four years, and emphasized that the view that all graduates should have higher education is wrong.
Source: www.gazeta.uz