President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a resolution on establishing the International University of Tourism "Silk Road" in Samarkand on 28 June.

The university will train professional cadres and carry out scientific research and creative work in the field of international tourism.

The university will be included in the structure of the State Committee for Development of Tourism. The chairman of the committee will simultaneously be the main manager of the new educational institution.

The rector of the university will initially be elected by the board of trustees, and after the formation of the faculty - through its closed voting.

The university will be taught in Uzbek, Russian and English. Two foreign languages will be taught in the bachelor’s program: the first one is English (French, German), the second one is one of the official languages of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (Russian, Chinese).

The quota for admission to undergraduate programmes for the 2018/2019 academic year is 125 people, including 42 on state grants, with the possibility of additional admission at higher contract rates. The university can accept applicants for training in correspondence and evening departments.

Foreign citizens are admitted to the undergraduate programmes of the university on a paid-contract basis outside the established quotas via interviews, without test tests.

Starting from the academic year 2019/2020, applicants with certificates of leading, recognized international examination systems (TOEFL, IELTS, CEFR, SAT General, SAT Subject and others) are given a maximum score in the relevant subjects in the established order, with subsequent exemption from tests on these subjects .

Starting from the 2019/2020 academic year, the University will apply the credit system in the training of personnel in international tourism.