ASTANA – Duke University and Berik and Bayan Kaniyev Foundation signed an agreement on June 27 to establish a dedicated scholarship for Kazakh citizens to pursue an MBA at the university’s renowned Fuqua School of Business.

The Berik and Bayan Kaniyev Scholarship is the first scholarship launched by Duke University in Kazakhstan and the broader region.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to one citizen of Kazakhstan admitted to one of Fuqua’s full-time master’s programs, including the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Accelerated Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Quantitative Management: Business Analytics (MQM), or Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business (MMS).

The scholarship is awarded solely by the Fuqua School of Business. To be eligible, applicants need to apply through Fuqua’s regular admission process. Applications open in July 2025, with the first recipient beginning studies in 2026. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition.

“The negotiations with Duke were open, values-driven and focused on a shared vision. This is not about funding a single student — it’s about building a long-term opportunity for future generations. The scholarship is structured as an endowment, meaning that as the fund grows, the number of recipients will also increase,” said Zere Seraly, director of the foundation, in a comment for this story.

“It is not only about degrees, but about the positive impact these graduates will bring. We aim to create a community of Kazakh graduates with global experience and a deep sense of responsibility towards our country,” she said.

This initiative opens a pathway to one of the world’s respected business schools.

“I remember how inaccessible this level of education once seemed until I walked this path myself. My wife and I established this scholarship so that talent and ambition would matter more than the ability to afford studies. I hope it will become a life-changing opportunity for someone else, just as Fuqua was for me. Over time, we hope many students will seize this chance to grow, develop, and serve their country,” said Berik Kaniyev, a 2005 graduate of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and co-founder of the scholarship.

Berik and Bayan Kaniyev Foundation is a private family foundation that supports projects in the field of education, culture and sports initiatives in Kazakhstan.

“Education has always been at the heart of our mission. We’ve supported a wide range of initiatives in Kazakhstan, including one of the country’s first endowment funds for the National School of Physics and Math (Fizmat), the launch of Quantum Schools, and the development of Qazaq Tili, an international cultural platform. Our goal is to build an ecosystem of opportunities — not just fund isolated projects,” Zere Seraly said.

Founded in 1969, Duke’s Fuqua School of Business is consistently ranked among the world’s top business schools by the Financial Times, Bloomberg Business Week and Forbes. Its distinguished alumni network of over 28,000 graduates includes global leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Melinda Gates. The school is well known for its academic rigor, focus on leadership, and international perspective.