On July 29, the 20th anniversary awards ceremony for the winners and diploma recipients of the national "Best Exporter 2025" competition was held in the Small Hall of the Palace of the Republic. The event was traditionally organized by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the largest business community and key national institution for export support in Belarus.
For reference: Today, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry includes six regional offices, a network of branches throughout the country, representatives in 33 countries, and partnerships with organizations in more than 100 countries.
Twenty-one companies won the competition in 17 categories, and 32 received diplomas. Among them, for the first time, was the Belarusian National Technical University, the country's leading technical university, which has received high recognition for its work on the international stage.
BNTU received this well-deserved award from Andrei Ivanets, Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus. This recognition is a logical culmination of the university's long-standing, systematic work to develop the export of educational services and strengthen the international standing of Belarusian education.
Education Export as a Strategic Priority
BNTU's international activities are carried out to implement state educational, scientific, technical, and innovation policies in accordance with the National Program for Export Development in the Republic of Belarus for 2026 and the country's foreign policy. These activities are aimed at further developing the university's educational, scientific, and technical potential, its competitiveness in the global educational services market, and ensuring the effective transition of the national economy to an innovative development path.
In 2026, the Republic of Belarus plans to increase exports by 3.7% compared to 2025 levels, according to the Socioeconomic Development Program for 2026–2030 and Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On Promoting Export Development" No. 88 of March 16, 2026.
Export of educational services has been identified as a key performance indicator for every higher education institution in the country. According to the Ministry of Education's order, BNTU ranks second in export performance among all universities in the country.
The projected growth rate of educational services exports for BNTU in 2026 is 158.6%: from $7.5 million in 2025 to $11.895 million in 2026.
Analysis of BNTU's export performance over recent years demonstrates a steady positive trend – educational exports are growing steadily, and over the past six years, BNTU's foreign exchange earnings have increased almost fivefold, reaching an all-time high in the university's history in 2025.
For BNTU, 2025 will be a historic breakthrough in educational services exports. In absolute terms, the completed export volume amounted to $12,427,700, which is $4,617,500 more than in 2024 (a growth rate of 159.1%).
The University fulfilled the educational services export target set by the Ministry of Education ahead of schedule and exceeded it by 154.2% by the end of the year: against the planned $7,500,000, it achieved $11,567,400.
The volume of educational services exports for 2025 compared to 2024 ($7,094,200) increased significantly: the growth rate was 163.1% (in absolute terms, the actual increase was $4,473,200).
Tourism services exports also demonstrated significant growth, with a growth rate of 127.1% compared to 2024 (an increase of $162,400), primarily due to the increase in the number of international students.
As of January 1, 2026, 2,634 international students were studying at BNTU. In addition, 265 students are studying abroad under BNTU's joint educational programs in Uzbekistan, 319 in Tajikistan, 315 in China, and 1,797 students are studying at the Joint Belarusian-Uzbek Interdisciplinary Institute of Applied Technical Qualifications in Tashkent. Thus, over 5,000 foreign citizens from 52 neighboring and non-CIS countries are currently studying at BNTU and under joint programs worldwide.
Approximately 90% of BNTU's international student population in Belarus consists of citizens of China (1,125), Turkmenistan (776), Uzbekistan (347), and Russia (189). Particularly noteworthy is the increase in the number of students from the Republic of Zimbabwe, which reached 61 in 2026—over 70% of all Zimbabwean students at Belarusian universities. A significant factor in the increase in the number of Chinese and Zimbabwean nationals was the successful implementation of English-taught master's programs at BNTU.
The share of foreign nationals in BNTU's total student population increased by 5%: from 9% (2020/2021) to 14% (2025/2026), which is comparable to leading foreign universities.
Organizational Structure and Systems Approach
To support the strategic direction of increasing the export of educational services, in 2021 the university improved its organizational structure for international activities by transforming the Department of International Cooperation and Foreign Economic Activity into the Faculty of International Cooperation (FIC).
The FIC's functions include organizing admissions, processing documents, facilitating the adaptation and support of international students at all stages of their studies, interacting with foreign institutions and organizations, hosting foreign delegations, and more.
The FIC forms the foundation for organizing international cooperation within BNTU's divisions, coordinating the activities of all university divisions in fulfilling the objectives of exporting educational services, as well as in organizing and developing international cooperation in science and education, including key issues related to improving the training of specialists for foreign countries.
The BNTU branch "Research Polytechnic Institute," the BNTU Scientific and Technological Park "Polytechnic," the BNTU Confucius Institute for Science and Technology, and the university's faculties and international educational institutions abroad are also involved in this work.
BNTU has accumulated over half a century of experience training international specialists: throughout its history, the university has trained over 10,000 foreign specialists for foreign countries. BNTU graduates work on every continent, and for many, studying at BPI-BSPA-BNTU has become the key to a successful career in their home country.
BNTU's recognition as a winner of the national competition "Best Exporter 2025" is a high assessment of the work of the university's entire staff, recognition of the quality of the Belarusian educational product in the international market, and a powerful incentive for further expansion in foreign markets.
Today, BNTU is a leading technical university in Belarus, successfully combining classical university traditions with modern approaches and technologies. The university's robust educational model allows for the integration of international education with the development of innovation, sports, and cultural activities, which is an objective prerequisite for the high level of creative development of international students, ideological and civic education, and the provision of a high-quality educational process.
With half a century of experience training specialists for international markets, over 10,000 graduates worldwide, over 5,000 international students from 52 countries, record export figures, and state-level recognition, BNTU is confidently moving toward its goal of becoming a leading center of attraction for talented young people from around the world, offering high-quality education, modern learning environments, and ample opportunities for professional and personal growth. The "Best Exporter" diploma is not only recognition of its achievements but also a new benchmark on the path to new achievements and records.
