WASHINGTON, December 11, 2025-The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a $250 million loan for Uzbekistan to support a program aimed at expanding equitable access to student financing in higher education and in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) (the EduImkon Program). Over the next three years, this program will help strengthen the student financing support system and expand access to tuition loans for an estimated 600,000 young people across the country. Around 80% of program funds will be directed toward providing loans for low-income students and women.
Considering Uzbekistan's relatively large number of people aged 14-30, estimated at around 10 million, the government has prioritized expanding access to higher education and TVET. This has led to a near tripling of higher education institutions and an increase in youth enrollment from 8% of youth in 2017 to 48% in 2024.
However, the growing number of higher education entrants has increased pressure and jeopardized the overall sustainability of Uzbekistan's student loan system, which operates through state-subsidized loans issued by commercial banks.
Additionally, the student financing support system also has a limited connection to labor market needs. Currently, tuition loans do not prioritize high-demand fields such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or Information and Communication Technology (ICT), thus reducing graduates' prospects of securing well-paid jobs.
Moreover, although women represent 55% of all university students and account for 80% of tuition loan beneficiaries, only 33% of female students are enrolled in STEM fields, where the demand for skills is highest.
The World Bank-funded EduImkon Program will be implemented in 2026-2028 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to address existing constraints in the student financing system. Specifically, the following actions will be taken over the next three years:
- Developing and implementing a clear roadmap to modernize the student tuition loan system's managerial and operational processes, as well as improve coordination between relevant ministries and state agencies responsible for this area.
- Launching a unified digital platform to streamline and shorten student loan processing time, as well as increase efficiency, transparency, loan beneficiary tracking, and data analytics for decision-making on loan allocation.
- Expanding access to higher education and TVET for low-income students and women by refining tuition loan eligibility criteria and adjusting interest subsidies for vulnerable groups.
- Enhancing the labor-market relevance of education and ensuring long-term financial sustainability of the student tuition loan system.
- Developing and piloting an income-contingent loan system, where repayments depend on borrowers' income, to support low-income earners and those who face temporary unemployment after graduation.
By December 2028, around 600,000 students in higher education and TVET programs are expected to benefit from the improved student financing support system and receive tuition loans through 12 participating commercial banks, working in coordination with the MEF.
Over $190 million, or around 80% of program funds, will be directed toward providing loans for vulnerable students, including those from low-income families and women, and will encourage higher education and TVET entrants to pursue disciplines that are in high demand in the labor market, including STEM fields.
The EduImkon Program will also help attract an additional $30 million in private capital, further expanding opportunities for student lending and reducing pressure on the state budget.
