The roots of the university go back to the founding of the Khorezm Teacher Training Institute in 1935, which was known as the Khorezm State Pedagogical Institute from 1942. In February 1992, the institution was granted the status of a university by a decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The university was named after the famous polymath al-Khwārizmī and is currently (since 2017) known as Urgench State University. In 2025 it was renamed after Abu Rayhan Biruni. The university has a broad range of subjects and offers degree programmes in numerous fields, including engineering, mathematics, IT, history, economics, chemistry, biology and education.

Urgench is located in western Uzbekistan and is the administrative and cultural centre of Khorezm province. Urgench has an international airport and is located on a railway line. The city is also known for its trolleybus line, which connects it with the historic oasis city of Khiva(Xiva), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, around 35 kilometres away. Around 150,000 people currently live in Urgench.

Uzbekistan is the most populous country in Central Asia with a well-developed industrial and agricultural base. Agriculture, which employs around 60 % of the population, is the most important economic sector, accounting for around 30 % of GDP. Uzbekistan has experienced stable and steady population growth in recent decades. Russian continues to be the main lingua franca in politics, business and science. The language switch from Russian to Uzbek and the lack of up-to-date specialised literature in Uzbek complicate the educational process. The most important foreign languages are English and, by a considerable margin, German and French.

The cost of living in Uzbekistan is relatively low by European standards and can be estimated at around EUR 300 per month.