Created in 1998 by the merger of Southern Kazakhstan Technical University (Iužno-Kazahstanskij Tehnieeskij Universitet) (1943) and Southern Kazakhstan Humanities University named after M.Auezov (Iužno-Kazahstanskij Gumanitarnij Universitet im. Auezova)(1968).

Founded as Kazakh Medical Institute 1931. Renamed Almaty State Medical Institute 1961. Became Kazakh State Medical University 1996. Acquired present status and title 2001.

Kazakh National Medical University is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It is the no.1 medical institute in all of Kazakhstan. Many of Kazakhstan’s leading physicians are affiliated with the university. It is dedicated to S.D. Asfendiyarov who was the first rector when the university was established in 1931. In 2001, the government classified it as a "national" university. There are more than 11000 students, PhD students study at KazNMU, and there are more than 1500 faculty members working at KazNMU, including more than 200 doctors of science, 130 professors, more than 500 candidates of science and 15-laureates of State prizes

The university was established in 1999 in Astana as a branch office of the Turar Ryskulov Kazakh Economic University (leading university in the sphere of economics and finance) in order to develop a new educational and cultural center in Astana. In 2007 after the changes in legislation regarding the educational sphere the branch office has seized the activity and was transformed into an independent higher educational institution – Kazakh University of economics, finance and international trade. During the last years the university has become a large educational center with high qualified staff and good facilities and equipment. Currently the structure of the university consists of 3 faculties and 10 departments.

Mission: Formation of personnel potential – highly qualified specialists competitive on domestic and international labor market.
Vision: Enter the world’s TOP-200 leading research universities.
Purpose: Transformation from the classical national university into research university of a world class.
There are 6 strategic directions are defined in the Strategic plan of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University for 2015-2020:
Strategic direction 1 To improve quality of educational activities.
Strategic direction 2 To develop and improve quality of scientific research and innovative activity.
Strategic direction 3 Extension of the international cooperation.
Strategic direction 4 To improve welfare activity, involve youth into social and economic development of the country.
Strategic direction 5 Development of the infrastructure and implementation of the latest information technologies.
Strategic direction 6 To improve the efficiency of financial and economic activities.

Vision Enter the world’s TOP-200 leading research universities.
Purpose:
Transformation from the classical national university into research university of a world class.
There are 6 strategic directions are defined in the Strategic plan of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University for 2015-2020:
Strategic direction 1 To improve quality of educational activities.
Strategic direction 2
To develop and improve quality of scientific research and innovative activity.
Strategic direction 3 Extension of the international cooperation.
Strategic direction 4 To improve welfare activity, involve youth into social and economic development of the country.
Strategic direction 5
Development of the infrastructure and implementation of the latest information technologies.
Strategic direction 6 To improve the efficiency of financial and economic activities.