Kirghiz University

founded in 1951 in Frunze, superseding the Kirghiz Pedagogical Institute created in 1932.

The university has (1972) departments of physics, mechanics and mathematics, chemistry, biology, geography, economics, philology, history, law, and foreign languages; in 1954–55 the departments of engineering and physical culture were reorganized as the polytechnic institute and the institute of physical culture. There are also preparatory, evening, and correspondence divisions, a graduate school (classes are conducted in both Kirghiz and Russian), 63 subdepartments, a computer center, more than 60 educational and scientific laboratories, botanical gardens and a zoological museum, and a library with 800,000 holdings.

In 1972 the university enrolled about 14,000 students and had a staff of more than 700 instructors, including 30 doctors of sciences and professors and 260 candidates of sciences and do-cents. Since 1968 the university has been publishing the Collection of Scientific Studies. It has graduated more than 19,000 specialists since its foundation.