In order to optimize and improve the management of internationalization activities, increase effectiveness in international cooperation, promote foreign citizens' education at the University, and organize teaching according to international standards, the Rector of Baku State University issued the decree No. R-121 on October 20, 2019, abolishing the Dean's Office for Foreign Students and establishing the Foreign Students Affairs Department based on it.
The Foreign Students Affairs Department is an administrative structure that works towards the promotion and recruitment of foreign nationals and stateless persons for education at the University, the legalization of their entry into the country (invitation letters, visas), provision of housing, registration for temporary residence, analysis of information about foreign students, preparation of reports, and investigation of difficulties related to their education.
The Department operates under the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Migration Code of Azerbaijan, international treaties the country has signed, the Law on Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and various decisions, orders, and regulations issued by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, Ministry of Education, as well as the University Statute, the decisions of the Academic Council, the Rector’s orders, and the University’s Strategic Development Plan.
The presence of foreign students, their quantity and quality indicators, the areas of activity of foreign graduates, and their achievements play an important role in increasing the international competitiveness of Baku State University, improving its internal and external rankings, and contributing to the export-oriented indicators of Azerbaijani education.
As of the current academic year, over 400 foreign and stateless students from 34 countries are studying at Baku State University. These students represent countries including Turkey, Georgia, Russia, China, Iran, Iraq, Gambia, India, Algeria, and others.
70% of foreign students are enrolled in the Humanities faculty group, while 30% are in the Natural Sciences faculty group. For many years, the Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology has maintained its leadership in the number of foreign students. In the current academic year, 25% of foreign students are in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology, 18% in the Faculty of International Relations and Economics, 12% in Law, and 7% in the Faculty of Philology. It is also noteworthy that women constitute the majority of foreign students at Baku State University.
Main Objectives of the Department:
- Expanding Baku State University's integration into the international educational space.
- Improving conditions to increase the academic mobility of foreign students.
- Forming the image of the University as a modern higher education institution in the international educational arena.
- Creating favorable social and psychological conditions for foreign students in the country.
Main Functions of the Department:
- Establishing relations with local and international organizations, agencies, and diplomatic bodies to increase the number of foreign student admissions and preparing memorandums, agreements, and cooperation contracts between the University and international organizations.
- Participating in international education exhibitions.
- Cooperating with the Ministry of Science and Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
- Establishing connections with foreign graduates.
Main Tasks of the Department:
- Resolving issues related to the organization of education for foreign citizens at the University according to agreements with foreign universities, organizations, and individuals.
- Providing advice and organizational assistance to foreign citizens on admission to preparatory courses for studying at the University and learning Azerbaijani and Russian as foreign languages.
- Increasing awareness of educational services provided by the University and creating conditions to attract new foreign students.
- Assisting foreign students in adapting to the University and the country.
- Organizing information sessions for newly admitted foreign students and introducing them to University services.
- Establishing and ensuring the operation of a foreign student club and a foreign alumni association.
- Forming a unified information database of foreign students.
- Providing social, pedagogical, and psychological assistance to foreign students at the University.
- Ensuring procedural matters regarding the stay of foreign students in Azerbaijan (passport, visa, and migration registration).
- Conducting awareness-raising activities for foreign students (on topics such as Azerbaijani history, culture, territorial integrity, the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (1988-2020), Victory history, etc.).
- Maintaining communication with the University’s structural divisions, student organizations, and external entities to solve problems encountered by foreign students during their studies.
- Organizing leisure activities for foreign students.
- Reporting the requests, suggestions, and complaints of foreign students to the University's management structures and taking action to address these issues.