About 16,000 Indian students are studying in Uzbekistan, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Tashkent and New Delhi intend to deepen cooperation between universities, develop joint research projects, and exchanges. Around 16,000 Indian students are already studying in Uzbekistan. India has also proposed exploring the GIFT City model and has awarded 100 scholarships for Hindi studies.
Approximately 16,000 Indian students are currently studying in Uzbekistan, the majority of whom are pursuing medical degrees, according to Sibi George, Secretary for Western Affairs at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
Following talks between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tashkent, the two sides reached an agreement to expand cooperation in education. Specifically, they plan to intensify faculty and student exchanges, conduct joint research and scientific projects, and develop direct ties between universities in both countries.
Sibi George also reported that Narendra Modi presented the Uzbek side with information about GIFT City, a specialized financial technology hub in the Indian state of Gujarat, where India is seeking to attract campuses of foreign universities. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted, "A delegation from Uzbekistan may visit India to explore this issue in more detail."
In Tashkent, the creation of an International University City is planned, which will include branches of leading international and domestic universities, academic campuses, and dormitories. The project will be developed to study the experience of educational centers such as Education City in Qatar, International Academic City in Dubai, and the Global Campus in Incheon.
According to Sibi George, expanding educational ties could contribute to the creation of new jobs.
During his visit, Narendra Modi also announced the allocation of 100 scholarships named after former Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri for students from Uzbekistan to study Hindi. This decision coincides with the 60th anniversary of his death in Tashkent.
Furthermore, a Sanskrit department, supervised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is planned to be opened at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
The Indian side emphasized that expanding educational cooperation is in line with both countries' strategic programs: "Uzbekistan 2030" and India's plans to become a developed country by 2047.
According to the National Agency for Education Quality Assurance, 24,647 international students from more than 50 countries are studying at universities in Uzbekistan. More than half of them—13,060—are Indian citizens. They are followed by students from Turkmenistan (4,884), Pakistan (1,165), and Kazakhstan (1,129).
Medicine is the most popular program among international students: 16,476 are studying it, accounting for approximately 67% of the total number of international students. The largest number of international students are studying at Tashkent State Medical University (4,155) and Samarkand State Medical University (4,153). They are followed by the National Research University TIIAME (2,886), Bukhara State Medical Institute (2,178), and the National University of Uzbekistan (1,917).
The agency's data is based on information from the HEMIS system and reflects the number of international students officially enrolled at universities.
According to the National Statistics Committee, 21,042 foreign citizens arrived in Uzbekistan for study from January to June 2026. This is 11,500 people, or 2.2 times, more than in the same period of the previous year.
The largest number of students arrived from Turkmenistan—9,207. They were followed by India (3,723), Tajikistan (1,915), China (951), Kyrgyzstan (834), Pakistan (689), Egypt (603), South Korea (526), the Philippines (367), and the United States (302).
From January to July, the number of Indian citizens who came to Uzbekistan to study reached 3,853. During the same period, 44 Uzbek citizens traveled to India to study. Additionally, 32,462 Indian tourists visited Uzbekistan from January to July, and 12,003 Uzbek citizens made tourist trips to India.
It should be noted that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs data reflects the total number of Indian students studying in Uzbekistan, while Uzbek statistics show the number of Indian citizens who arrived in the country for study during a given period.