"Creation of our institute of higher education on the Virgin soil was an event of the great importance. It became as if a parent of the higher education in the whole region.
The higher educational establishment was considered as a place of concentration and active functioning of scientific schools.
From the very beginning attraction to complex process of creating the higher educational institution was headed for attracting not just experts in the field of agriculture, but real scientists were necessary"
History of the University is a number of its consecutively replacing each other stages of formation and dynamic development. From the institute consisting of only three departments it has turned into the research university, the scientific and educational center of not only the northern region, but also the whole country.
The establishment of a new educational institution was the answer to challenge of time, the period of developing virgin and long-fallow lands in North Kazakhstan when agricultural experts were necessary for the country. For expansion of training of experts for agricultural production for the northern and central regions of Kazakhstan Akmola Agricultural Institute that included agronomic, mechanization of agriculture and land management departments, was organized by the Decree of Council of Ministers of the USSR on October 3, 1957 and by the order of the Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR on October 9, 1957.
By the results of an independent rating of National agency of accreditation and rating, based on quality of educational programs, in 2014 30 educational programs of KATU (37% of total number) were included into the three of the best programs of the country. 12 of them won the first place. It allowed KATU to take the 5th place in the national rating of universities and it is the best result in the university history.
Educational process is carried out by 889 teachers, 83 of them are Doctors of sciences and 376 are Candidates of sciences, 18 are Doctors of Philosophy. Academic degree holders rate of the university faculty makes 53%.
For more than half a century over 60 thousand highly qualified specialists have been prepared for various branches of agro-industrial complex of the country that made and continue making a worthy contribution to the development of economy of the country by their selfless work. The university is rightfully proud of its graduates, among them there are executives of Presidential Administration and Office of the Prime minister, deputies of the Senate and Majilis of Parliament of RK, ambassadors, prominent scientists, candidates and doctors of sciences, Akims of oblasts, cities and regions, heads of the large enterprises and agroformations, experts in various spheres of national economy.
Since 2012, science becomes the main priority in development of activity of KATU. Stage-by-stage transformation in modern research university of the international level in the sphere of agriculture has been set as a strategic goal.
Speaking on May 23, 2013 at 26 Plenary session of Council of foreign investors, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev first offered to create a research university of the international level in the sphere of agriculture on the base of KATU like JSC "Nazarbayev University". This is the starting point of work on reforming of KATU.
Seifullin KATU is reckoned among 10 basic universities of the country which are carrying out personnel training for projects of a state program of industrial and innovative development of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2015 - 2019. Priority sectors for KATU have been determined, they are "Agricultural mechanical engineering"and "Production of foodstuff". A partner of S.Seifullin KATU is the University of California in Davis (UC Davis, the USA), a leading research university of an agrarian specialization in the world and new educational programs are developed side by side with this university.
By the results of the world universities rating, which was carried out by the agency of QS World University Rankings® 2014/15 S.Seifullin KATU entered a top of 701+ best Universities; is a full member of the Great Charter of Universities, creating a basis for formation of a Single European Educational Space.
Today KATU is the diversified university having its established scientific schools thanks to which the basis of the present faculty is created.
Now 44 chairs work at the university. At eight departments over ten thousand students on 37 specialties of a Bachelor degree, 31 specialties of a Master degree and 14 specialties of Doctoral studies of PhD get trained. Preparation of polylingual shots on 8 specialties of a bachelor degree, 31 specialties of a Master degree and 9 specialties of Doctoral studies is started.