Azerbaijan amends rules for foreigners to study at universities

Education of foreigners and stateless persons in Azerbaijan is regulated by the “Rules for the education of Azerbaijani citizens abroad, of foreigners and stateless persons in Azerbaijan” approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, Report informs.

The Cabinet of Ministers said that after the approval of the rules, necessity emerged to amend them in order to regulate a number of issues that arise during their implementation.

These amendments cover the following issues:

- Taking into account international experience, in order to facilitate the application of foreigners to local higher education institutions, as well as to review, monitor, and control the results of their applications, to ensure statistical analysis, the admission of foreigners to local higher education institutions outside the State Examination Center will be carried out online. Foreigners will have the opportunity to apply to the educational institution by filling out an online application in the Electronic Document Acceptance Subsystem of the Centralized Education Information System of the Education Ministry.

- In order to bring the rules in line with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan ‘On Education,’ in case of insufficient language and professional knowledge of applicants, opportunities will be created to train foreigners in preparatory classes or courses.

- The majority of foreigners studying in higher education institutions of Azerbaijan are those who study under a contract with a higher education institution. When foreigners acquire the right to receive full-time education, they must submit a copy of the temporary residence permit issued by the State Migration Service in accordance with Article 44.2 of the Migration Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the educational institution within 90 (ninety) days.

According to the relevant amendment, the agreement stipulates that those who don’t submit a residence permit in Azerbaijan will be expelled from higher education institutions.