DUSHANBE, July 29, 2010, Asia-Plus -- As of July 27, 2,427 entrants lodged applications to Tajik State University, while it plans to accept 1,200 freshmen this academic year; 650 of them will be accepted on contractual basis, the Tajik State Medical University Chancellor Ubaidullo Qurbonov said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

“The number of those interested in entering our university has increased by 21.4 percent compared to last year,” said the chancellor, “In 2009, 1,907 entrants lodged applications to the university.”

Besides, 99 students will be accepted this year by presidential quota.  The chancellor noted that the quality of knowledge of those entering the university by presidential quota was very low.  “This year, we have to accept very weak students, for example, from Murgab and Nosir Khusrav districts,” said Qurbonov, “To-date, 529 students have studied at Tajik Medical University by presidential quota, which is 9 percent of the overall number of its students.”

The number of foreign students studying at Tajik Medical University is increasing from year to year.  “This year, 100 students from the CIS and other nations are expected to enter our university,” said Qurbonov, “To-date, the number of foreign students studying at our university is 470 – they are mainly nationals of Pakistan, India, Russia, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.”

We will recall that 5,807 students now study at Tajik State Medical University.