Language of study in Azerbaijan and the preparatory year

If you plan to study for a degree in Azerbaijan, settle two things before choosing a university: the language you will study in, and whether you can start the first year straight away or will first spend months on a preparatory course in that language. The short answer: university programmes in Azerbaijan are taught mainly in Azerbaijani, Russian, Turkish and English, and the language varies by programme and by university¹. The university you choose checks your level in the language of instruction²; if you do not meet its language requirements, you may need a preparatory course lasting from a few months to a full academic year¹.

What the official rules say

The Rules approved by Cabinet of Ministers Decision No. 125 of 2015 are in force, and the consolidated text on e-qanun.az lists amendments up to Decision No. 45 of 24 February 2025². Under clause 3.4, as amended by Decision No. 302 of 2021 (in force from 1 January 2022, according to the ministry), you apply electronically through the ministry’s Electronic document reception system and attach scanned documents, including a certificate for an exam in the language of instruction if you have one^2,3. The full application steps and documents are in our guide How to apply to a university in Azerbaijan: the official route.

The current text contains three rules on language, none of which has been amended since the Rules were adopted in 2015²:

1. The university checks. The institution you choose checks your preparation for the level of study and your level in the language of instruction, and your admission is completed if you meet the requirements it sets (clause 3.5).
2. Exemption with an English score. For specialities taught in English, applicants with a sufficient score in an international English test are exempt from the language check: IELTS 5.0 or TOEFL 40 for a bachelor’s degree, and IELTS 5.5 or TOEFL 50 for later levels (clause 3.6).
3. Exemption if you keep the same language. Provided they do not change the language of instruction, the check does not apply to applicants who studied at an institution in Azerbaijan and are applying for the next level, or to graduates of the previous level from institutions that meet the requirements of the laws of the country where those institutions are located (clause 3.7).

The Rules set these exemptions; how a university checks your level and which documents it accepts as proof is for the university to confirm, so ask it in writing how it applies them to you.

The programme sets the language, not the university’s name

The official portal says that the language of instruction varies with the programme and the university’s profile¹. The universities’ own pages show this:

• The Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) states that it teaches in four languages (Azerbaijani, English, Russian and Turkish) and that foreign applicants choose the speciality and the teaching language together when they apply through portal.edu.az⁵.
• Azerbaijan University publishes a specific list of programmes taught in English, including eight bachelor’s programmes such as economics, finance, marketing and information security, alongside master’s programmes⁶.
• ADA University runs an English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP) programme, one of whose stated goals is to build the academic skills students need for ADA’s undergraduate programme in English⁷.

The preparatory course: who, how long and when

According to the official portal, several Azerbaijani universities offer preparatory courses for applicants who do not meet the language requirements of their chosen programme; the courses last from a few months to a full academic year, depending on the student’s starting level and the programme’s requirements, and students receive a certificate confirming their language competence at the end¹. The preparation-course page on the portal’s previous version, which is still online, said that the length of this training is set during the admission process⁸.

The portal’s current page names a number of institutions offering these courses, among them ADA University, Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU) and the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts (ADMİU)¹, while the page on the previous version gives a different list⁸. Treat both lists as a starting point, and confirm with the university itself that it offers a course in the language you need.

Preparatory-course dates can differ from first-year dates. For the 2022/2023 academic year, a ministry announcement reported that universities had set 30 September as the last date for admitting foreign citizens to levels of study other than preparatory courses³. That announcement covers that year only, and we found no official statement of the cut-off for later years, so ask the university for its current dates. As an example of preparatory-course dates, ADMİU states that applications for its nine-month preparatory course are accepted from the beginning of June until 10 September, and for its six-month course from late December until 31 January; year-long courses start in October and six-month courses in March⁴. These are one university’s dates and are not a rule for others.

Passing the course is not automatic. An older ministry FAQ on the admission of foreign students (undated; its web address places it in October 2020) said that if a student’s knowledge of the language and of the subject is not judged satisfactory, the university may consider having the student repeat the preparatory course⁹. Ask the university how it handles this today.

If you want to study in English

The scores in the rules are a threshold for exemption from the language check, not necessarily the scores your university uses². ADA University, for example, exempts from its EAPP programme applicants who submit at least one of these minimum scores: IELTS Academic 6.0, TOEFL iBT 75 (or 4 on the new TOEFL iBT for tests taken on or after 21 January 2026), PTE 50 or Duolingo 105¹⁰. Its admissions page does not say what applies to an international applicant without one of these scores, so ask the university before you apply.

Azerbaijan University asks foreign applicants for a language certificate, and exempts from the test requirement native English speakers and applicants who completed an English-taught high school, bachelor’s or master’s programme¹¹.

Decision table: your situation and what to check

Choose the language of instruction with care: at UNEC, for example, you choose it together with the speciality when you apply⁵, so base it on your real ability to study in it.

When a preparatory year may not suit you

• You need to start your degree this academic year. A preparatory course adds months before the first year; ask whether the university offers a shorter course starting mid-year, as ADMİU does⁴.
• You plan to study medicine. Medicine raises further language questions, such as the language of clinical training and recognition of the degree; see Studying medicine in Azerbaijan: what to check before enrolling.
• You assume the course certificate will be accepted by another university. The portal says it confirms language competence¹, not that every university accepts it; ask the university you plan to move to.

Frequently asked questions