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Baku Higher Oil School celebrates its 14th anniversary

Today marks the 14th anniversary of the founding of the Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) of SOCAR. BHOS, which was established within the structure of SOCAR by the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated November 29, 2011, has achieved many important successes over the years of its existence.
A campus building and a block with all amenities were commissioned at Baku Higher Oil School.

Baku Higher Oil School stands out as the institution with the highest admission score. In its first year of admission, BHOS made history as the leader among 51 higher education institutions, according to the ranking compiled by the State Examination Center (SEC), and has maintained this success. Having set a record in the history of Azerbaijani education for the number of Presidential Scholars, BHOS has held a leading position in this area for several years in a row, and this year it broke its own record with 36 Presidential Scholars.

In the first year, admission was carried out only for two specialties, whereas at present Baku Higher Oil School admits students to 9 undergraduate programs, 8 master's specializations, and 3 doctoral programs.

While in the first years admission was carried out only in the 1st group specialties, in recent years admission was also carried out in the 2nd group specialty “Business Administration”, and this year for the first time admission was carried out in the 2nd group specialty “Finance”. Despite the fact that enrollment was carried out for the first time, of the 25 students in this group who received Presidential Scholarships, only 12 were students of this new specialty.
Baku Higher Oil School admits students to specialties in accordance with labor market requirements. This year, on the initiative of BHOS, admission to the specialty ‘Data Analytics’ was carried out for the first time in Azerbaijan, and this specialty was also chosen by highest-scoring applicants.

The employment rate of BHOS graduates is 100%. BHOS graduates work at SOCAR, various transnational companies, government agencies, and prestigious enterprises. This is confirmed by statistics for 2025 from the State Employment Agency. According to the Agency, Baku Higher Oil School is one of the five universities with the highest graduate employment rate.

Baku Higher Oil School is also a leader in startups and innovation, with its students achieving success and winning numerous international and local competitions over the years. In 2025 alone, more than 30 startup projects were presented and more than 20 hackathons were won. By earning 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze medals, and 4 special awards at Teknofest 2025, BHOS became the university with the highest number of awards.

Over the past years, the international relations of Baku Higher Oil School have expanded, and the number of foreign students studying there has increased significantly. This year, the number of foreign students at the university increased by 67%.

For the first time in the history of Azerbaijan’s higher education system, Baku Higher Oil School began exporting higher education programs. According to the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between SOCAR and Uzbekneftegaz on July 18, 2023 and under the agreements concluded between BHOS and universities of Uzbekistan, a dual degree program is being implemented between the Tashkent Institute of Chemical-Technology of Uzbekistan and the Bukhara State Technical University. Currently, 16 Uzbek students from these higher education institutions are studying at BHOS in the 2nd year of the master’s program in Chemical Engineering. They will receive a diploma from the university where they studied and from Baku Higher Oil School.

Baku Higher Oil School supports the development of human capital in Congo. According to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between SOCAR and the National Oil Company of the Congo (SNPC), Congolese students will study at BHOS and work at SNPC after graduation.

In 2025, all educational programs of BHOS underwent international accreditation for the first time. This process was carried out by the reputable German engineering agency ASIIN.

Baku Higher Oil School has achieved high results in international rankings, taking 3rd place in the country and 801–1000th place among universities in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025.

The Digital Knowledge Lyceum has already started operating under Baku Higher Oil School.