Designed for Learning

UCA campuses are located at the crossroads of the Pamir, Tien- Shan, Kunlun-Shan, and Hindu-Kush mountain ranges in three campus sites, with a Central Administration Office in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic:

  • Khorog, Tajikistan
  • Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic
  • Tekeli, Kazakhstan


Historical meeting points for the cultures and travellers of the ancient Silk Road, these communities will once again be transformed into vibrant hubs of international exchange, where knowledge is created, debates emerge, and innovation drives the development of a new era.

UCA operates within a framework of values that espouses academic excellence, individual rights and security, responsibility to community and public service, and ethical and transparent operations of government and business.

These tranquil, remote settings offer scholars a unique location in which to learn, contemplate, and exchange ideas. Each UCA campus site serves a wide geographic and ethnically diverse constituency, representing rich and resilient cultures. These locales, also present environmental, economic, and social challenges and resources critical to the growth and development of Central Asia. Yet they offer an opportunity to better understand global issues, including the effective management of natural resources, migration, ecotourism, and economic transition. UCA thus serves as an unparalleled laboratory for scholarly inquiry and the practical testing of initiatives undertaken by scholars and practitioners.

Designed by internationally acclaimed architect Arata Isozaki, each of UCA’s three campuses includes academic, athletic, and residential facilities, surrounded by landscaped parks. Every campus is designed to provide state-of-the-art classrooms and research laboratories, with an integrated role for cutting-edge information technology. Residential and dining facilities will cater to 1,200 students and 100 faculty and managerial staff, developing a new Central Asian model for education facilities - a university community. The University intends to provide publicly accessible libraries, athletic complexes, and facilities for cultural-social events.

The UCA library can house a collection of up to 130,000 volumes, including reference, periodical, and audio-visual collections, as well as regional archives and rare book collections. Campus auditoria are to have a seating capacity of 450 people; and athletic facilities include multi-purpose gymnasia, outdoor track and field, swimming pools, tennis courts, and ice hockey arenas.

The design process entailed a careful and deliberate undertaking, striving to ensure a monumental architectural contribution to the Central Asian landscape, while promoting new best practices in seismic design, construction methods, environmental sustainability, and energy efficiency. Moreover, the physical development of UCA is planned to multiply the economic impact to Central Asian communities through the procurement of building materials, training and employment of labour, and the use of support services, such as transportation and personal care. UCA estimates that over 900 new local jobs will be created during construction, with an additional 750 support service positions available once the campuses are fully operational.