Currently, about 16,000 Indian students are pursuing their studies in Uzbekistan, predominantly in medical fields. This was announced by Sibi George, Secretary (West) in India's Ministry of External Affairs.
Following the talks between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tashkent, the parties agreed to expand cooperation in the education sector. Specifically, the discussions focused on faculty and student exchanges, joint research, scientific projects, and establishing direct links between higher education institutions of the two countries.
Sibi George added that Narendra Modi briefed the Uzbek side about GIFT City, a special financial and technological hub in the Indian state of Gujarat, which India is seeking to attract foreign university campuses to. "Possibly, the Uzbek delegation will visit India to study this matter in more detail," the MEA official said.
In Tashkent, plans are underway to build an International Universities City, encompassing branches of leading foreign and local higher education institutions, academic campuses, and student dormitories. During the project development, it has been proposed to study the experience of Education City in Qatar, the International Academic City in Dubai, and the Global Campus in Incheon.
According to Sibi George, the expansion of educational ties could contribute to the creation of new jobs. During the visit, Narendra Modi also announced the allocation of 100 scholarships named after former Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri for Uzbek students to study Hindi, marking the 60th anniversary of his death in Tashkent.
Additionally, plans are underway to open a Sanskrit chair of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies. The Indian side links the expansion of educational cooperation with the strategic programs of the two countries — "Uzbekistan — 2030" and India's plans to become a developed state by 2047.
According to the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, 24,647 foreign students from over 50 countries are studying in Uzbek higher education institutions. More than half of them — 13,060 — are Indian citizens. They are followed by students from Turkmenistan (4,884), Pakistan (1,165), and Kazakhstan (1,129).
Medicine is the most popular field among foreigners: it is studied by 16,476 students, or almost 67% of the total foreign contingent. The largest numbers of foreign students are enrolled at the Tashkent State Medical University (4,155) and Samarkand State Medical University (4,153). They are followed by the National Research University "TIIAME" (2,886), Bukhara State Medical Institute (2,178), and the National University of Uzbekistan (1,917).
The agency's data is based on the HEMIS information system and reflects the number of officially registered foreign students. According to the State Statistics Committee, in January-June 2026, 21,042 foreign citizens arrived in Uzbekistan for study purposes, which is 2.2 times more than in the same period last year.
The largest number of students came from Turkmenistan — 9,207. They are followed by India (3,723), Tajikistan (1,915), China (951), Kyrgyzstan (834), Pakistan (689), Egypt (603), South Korea (526), the Philippines (367), and the USA (302). In January-July, the number of Indian citizens who arrived in Uzbekistan for education reached 3,853. During the same period, 44 citizens left Uzbekistan to study in India.
Furthermore, in January-July, 32,462 Indian tourists visited Uzbekistan, while 12,003 Uzbek citizens traveled across India. The Indian MEA data indicates the total number of Indian students studying in Uzbekistan, whereas Uzbekistan's statistics reflect the number of Indian citizens who entered the country specifically for study purposes during a certain period.
Source: www.gazeta.uz