History of SRU KEU

The building of the university was commissioned in

1954 and is protected by the

state as a historical and architectural complex.   

 Kyrgyz Economic University named after Musa Ryskulbekov (KEU) has been     considered a benchmark of quality and a true forge of young economic professionals in the         educational services market since its establishment and development in 1997.

 The establishment of the university became possible thanks to the efforts of Tolobek Kadyralievich     Kamchybekov, who, as a candidate of economic sciences, was appointed director of the Bishkek     Commercial College in 1995.

With extensive experience as the dean of the Accounting and Economics Faculty, vice-rector of KNU, and having undergone internships in the USA and Moscow State University, he had in-depth knowledge of the economic education system in the Kyrgyz Republic. Within a short period at the college, he managed to bring together leading specialists in the field of economic education.

On December 27, 1997, the college was granted the status of a higher educational institution and was named Bishkek Higher Commercial College.

After two years of active and fruitful work in the field of economic education in the country, the institution became Bishkek State Institute of Economics and Commerce.

In 2003, the institute was rightfully renamed Bishkek State University of Economics and Entrepreneurship (BSUEP). The university included the College of Economics and Services, which trained specialists in secondary professional education, and a lyceum that provided general secondary education programs for graduates of ninth-grade students.

Since October 30, 2010, the institution has been named Kyrgyz Economic University (KEU), and soon it was named after one of the first national economists, Musa Ryskulbekov.

Since then, October 30 has traditionally been celebrated as University Day, with the ceremony of "Student Dedication" and various significant scientific conferences for scholars and students.

Today, Kyrgyz Economic University positions itself as a specialized university for training qualified professionals in economics and management. It offers educational programs at the college, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and additional professional education levels.

As a leading specialized university, it carries significant responsibility as an educational and methodological association of the Ministry of Education and Science of the republic for the areas of "Economics and Management" in higher professional education and "Service" in secondary professional education.

Being a specialized higher educational institution in the field of economics in the national higher education system, KEU follows an evolutionary development path, steadily moving towards implementing innovative and in-demand educational programs. It operates on a self-financing basis across almost all levels of higher, secondary professional, and postgraduate economic education.

Established in December 1997 on the basis of the Soviet Trade College, the university has transformed over 20 years into a modern institution recognized not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in Central Asia, the CIS, and beyond.

Today, KEU boasts a well-developed material and technical base, telecommunications infrastructure, educational and methodological, and research complexes.

In 2015, our university was awarded the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic Quality Award in the category: "For significant achievements in service quality and the implementation of highly efficient methods."

Since 2004, KEU has been training specialists based on the principles of the Bologna Process, which has enabled its successful integration into the international educational space. The entire academic and research process at the university takes place within educational institutes and centers.

Among them, the Institute of Finance, Accounting, and Statistics holds a special place. Despite its relatively recent establishment, it is one of the leading institutes within the university. It includes educational, research, methodological, and consulting centers in financial and economic sciences, making a significant theoretical and practical contribution to KEU's innovative development.

Over the past year, to enhance professional competencies, the Department of Banking and Insurance has opened the "Banking Lab," which invites top banking specialists for training sessions.

Skillfully combining the best traditions of higher professional education with global advancements in modern educational technologies, the institute offers training in six fields of the "Economics" direction, covering 60 educational programs that comply with state higher education standards at all levels.

The institute also operates a system of additional professional education, particularly in accounting, where students and faculty members receive training and professional development.

Another important institution within the university’s educational framework is the Institute of International Economics, Business, and Tourism.

Since the 2014–2015 academic year, it has been training bachelor's students in "Management," and since 2017–2018, in "Business Administration." Its faculty includes four Doctors of Economic Sciences, one Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences, and four Candidates of Economic Sciences, all of whom actively engage in research. Over the past year, the institute's faculty members have published two monographs, developed three textbooks, and published over ten scientific articles in academic journals.

Awards and Recognitions:

• 2005 – Honorary Diploma of the State Tourism Agency: "Best Educational Institution in Tourism"
• 2008 – BITF Diploma: "For Participation in the Tourism Fair"
• 2014 – Certificate: "Best Educational Institution in Tourism"
• 2017 – Diploma: "Best Educational Institution in Tourism"                                                                                      

A distinctive feature of KEU is its modern, high-quality student training system, specializing in various profiles, fields, and specializations within the trade, public catering, and product quality assurance sectors.

KEU is considered the only university of its kind in the country, offering specialized training in trade and restaurant business systems through the Institute of Trade and Restaurant Business.

Today, public opinion on the necessity of qualified personnel in modern trade and service sectors, particularly those with a university education, has shifted. The previous belief that market forces alone would regulate the quality of products, goods, trade and restaurant services, and trade management has become outdated.

As the consumer market becomes saturated with goods and the network of stores, supermarkets, restaurants, cafes, and fast-food establishments expands excessively, there is an objective need for specialists responsible for monitoring product quality across the entire logistics chain—from fields, farms, and production facilities to store shelves, restaurant procurement, and consumer tables.

These specialists include commodity experts, marketers, quality managers, commerce and trade advertising managers, all of whom are trained by the Institute of Trade and Restaurant Business. Today, not only in Kyrgyzstan but also globally, the highest competition is observed in the trade and public catering sectors. As a result, it has become standard practice for reputable enterprises to include specialists of the aforementioned qualifications in their staff, recognizing that ensuring quality is essential for maintaining competitiveness in the goods and services market.

In recent years, KEU graduates have been consistently in demand by employers across various fields.

The Institute of Applied Mathematics and Information Technologies has been operating at KEU since spring 2016. Its primary goal is to integrate education, practice, and research, enabling graduates to acquire unique competencies and possess fundamental and contemporary knowledge in economic-mathematical analysis and modeling. This allows them to engage in both practical and scientific research activities.

Over the years, the institute's scientists have won grants from the Soros-Kyrgyzstan Foundation, and the university’s computer labs have been connected to the global internet free of charge. KEU faculty actively participate in all international programs implemented at the university and collaborate with the "EdNet" educational network. Consequently, they organized a meeting with a delegation of senior executives from Silicon Valley, USA.

The Institute of Continuous Open Education at KEU can be described as an elite institution or a new-type university. It is a unique educational center that ensures European-level education quality.

Over the past 10 years, the institute has become a leader in the educational community by implementing the latest technologies in e-learning. The learning process is structured in accordance with the principles of the Bologna Declaration, utilizing the ESTS credit accumulation system. The institute’s mission is to ensure accessibility, mobility, and universality of education, providing real opportunities for citizens to obtain a full higher professional education through the development of distance learning technologies.

KEU’s Graduate School provides master's training in the following fields:

• "Economics," with profiles in "Finance and Credit" and "Accounting, Analysis, and Audit"
• "Management," with profiles in "General Strategic Management" and "Business Administration" (MBA)

Employer assessments confirm the necessity of these qualifications for Kyrgyzstan. The Graduate School hosts annual international forums with young scientists from universities in Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and beyond.

"At our university, the most honored student is the one who has learned the most." This statement by M.V. Lomonosov applies to KEU students as well. The most capable students are sent abroad for further education, strengthening ties with global academia. Partner universities include institutions in Russia, Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, the UK, Austria, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, among others. The university continues to expand its global academic partnerships.

KEU places great emphasis on academic mobility for students, postgraduate students, and faculty.

Under academic mobility programs, students, master’s students, postgraduate students, and faculty members study, intern, and lecture at the following universities:

• Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (Germany) under the Erasmus+ program

• Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași (Romania) under the Erasmus+ program

• Masaryk University (Czech Republic) under the Erasmus+ program

• University of Valladolid (Spain) under the Erasmus+ program

• Sakarya, Karamanoglu, Karabük, and Bandırma Universities (Turkey) under the Mevlana program

• Southeast Norway University under the project "Sustainable Tourism Development through Rural Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage between Norway, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan"

Particular attention is given to universities in Kyrgyzstan and CIS countries through inter-university agreements.

Mobility projects supporting student and faculty exchanges include:

1. Erasmus+ EUCA-INVEST "Investing in Entrepreneurial Universities of the Caucasus and Central Asia" (student internships in Portugal and the Czech Republic; faculty internships in Scotland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania)

2. Erasmus+ HECAFS "Higher Education for Food Production Systems and Standards in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan" (faculty internships in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland)

3. Erasmus+ LMPT "Sustainable Development of Bachelor’s and Master’s Programs for Tourism Development in China, Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan" (faculty internships in Greece and France)

4. The Norwegian project "Sustainable Tourism Development through Rural Entrepreneurship and Cultural Heritage between Norway, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan" (postgraduate and faculty internships and participation in summer schools in Norway and Georgia)

Between 2016 and 2017, 44 KEU scholars traveled on academic assignments, delivering lectures at universities in China, Greece, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Spain, Croatia, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan.

Over the past three years, 25 students and faculty members have studied at foreign universities under mobility programs.

KEU’s talented students, faculty, and researchers participate in the EUCA-InVest project "Investing in Entrepreneurial Universities of the Caucasus and Kyrgyzstan" under the Erasmus+ program. In February 2017, the CreaLab KEU creative laboratory was launched. This laboratory supports students at all levels in generating, developing, implementing, and commercializing their innovative ideas through entrepreneurship and open innovation. Currently, CreaLab KEU residents are working on developing their ideas.

In 2009, KEU established its own printing house, marking the beginning of academic publishing. The university also launched the student newspaper "Maximum" and has been publishing the "KEU Bulletin" journal since 2001.

KEU employs over 220 academic and teaching staff, including 177 faculty members, 48% of whom are researchers.

Throughout the years, distinguished scholars in Kyrgyz science have worked at KEU. The university boasts numerous doctoral degree holders in economics, history, technical sciences, philology, pedagogy, philosophy, and other fields, contributing significantly to both national and international academia. 

Scientific Achievements of Our University

The scientific research of our scholars is in high demand:

• In 2017, the departments of KEU published 3 monographs, 12 textbooks and teaching materials, 266 scientific articles in various publications, and 16 articles in the media.
• In 2016, the university was awarded the 2nd-degree Diploma at the 13th International Competition "For Publishing Economics Textbooks".
• Based on its scientific achievements, KEU received a certificate from the Media Company Thomson Reuters as the most active user of "Web of Science".

Infrastructure Development

• The university has built approximately 580 square meters of academic and research facilities, along with an outdoor sports ground of 418 square meters.
• A project has been planned for the construction of an Intellectual Center for students and faculty, covering 708.14 square meters, as well as modern sports facilities:
  • Indoor facilities: 427.5 square meters
  • Outdoor facilities: 418 square meters

Innovative Research

The university is actively working on creating a scientific and technological laboratory for assessing the quality of food products produced in our country. This initiative aims to integrate scientific research with the implementation of innovative projects.

Student Achievements

KEU students continue to shine on the student scene in Kyrgyzstan:

• At the 2017 Republican Festival "Ala-Too Spring", they won the Grand Prix, the festival’s top award.
• One of the most anticipated events of university life is the "Miss KEU" contest, a spectacular and dynamic show. In 2017, nineteen finalists competed in beauty, grace, and eloquence. The winner received a "Magnificent Century" tour of Turkey as the grand prize.
• A significant event for the university was the participation of KEU students in the XIX World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Sochi in 2017. The festival brought together over 27,000 young people from 188 countries. On a single platform, youth leaders aged 18 to 35 met and engaged in friendly discussions.