Process of entering a university

In order to choose a university, you need to decide on the direction in which you would like to study: will it be engineering specialties? Economics? Or are you attracted to the arts? The next step is choosing an educational program.

In Russia you can study at bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, postgraduate studies, adjuncture, residency or assistant traineeship programs. After receiving the diploma, you can continue your doctoral studies, go to advanced training courses or master the program of professional retraining. It is necessary to decide on the form of education: full-time, part-time or extramural studies.

Sort the programs according to selected criteria and start searching for the university where you would like to study. Choose no more than 5 universities and consider how to prioritize them. Register on our website to be able to apply for selected universities.

In addition, applicants should think in advance about the study financing. These can be your personal funds, financing from foundations or private companies, as well as state financing within the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation. Every year 15,000 foreign candidates are offered a state funding for studying in Russia. To participate in the competition you must apply to one of the branches of the Rossotrudnichestvo or to the consular office of the Russian Federation located in your country.

Prepare documents and submit an application

Application for entering the university can be made in your personal account. Before filling the application, it is necessary to determine exactly the level of education, the form of studying, the funding option, and it is desirable to make a list of universities where you are ready to study. The application must include: 

1. A copy of your passport or other identity document;
2. Copy of your graduation document;
3. Completed questionnaire;
4. Your photo.

In the application you need to list at least 5 universities in order of priority in which you are ready to study. It is allowed to choose no more than two universities in Moscow, no more than two in Saint Petersburg and no more than three in one federal district. It is important that all documents must be translated into Russian and certified by a notary or consul. After receiving information on admission to a particular university, you should clarify the list of necessary documents, as additional documents may be required.

Pass the selection test in your country

For those who come from the state funding within the government quota in the first stage of selection depending on the country, it may be necessary to pass an interview with representatives of the Rossotrudnichestvo or consular office of the Russian Federation, and pass the qualifying examination tests. The procedure has following course of action:

1. Get information about interviews and trials in your personal account.
2. Register for an interview or selection test (if registration is provided).
3. In the time specified in the registration for the interview or selection test, you must take part in the form provided for these activities.
4. Based on the results of the testing and selection test, you will receive points that will determine your place among the candidates in your country and will be able to assess the chance of passing to the second stage of selection.
5. Get in your personal account information about passing the second stage of selection, or about the refusal of studying in Russia.

Passing the second stage of selection

In the second stage of the selection process, applications for public funding and applications for other sources of funding are considered by universities. The procedure has following course of action:

1. Get information about additional tests in your personal account. Some universities provide additional selection tests which can be done either remotely or in the personal presence of the candidate. 
2. Prepare for additional tests and pass them in the correct format. To pass the face-to-face additional tests, you will need to apply for a visa (if necessary), buy travel tickets and come to Russia on the scheduled dates. The details of the visit should be clarified with the university.
3. See the results of the second stage of selection in your personal account. In case of successful completion of the second stage, you will see the name of university in which you will be trained. You will also have access to information about your arrival to the university. In case of absence of such information, it is necessary to contact the educational organization as soon as possible and get all the necessary information about the arrival in Russia. We recommend to agree with representatives of the educational organization the date of arrival!
4. If you need to learn Russian, you can also get information about the educational organization where such training will be held in your personal account.

Before arriving in Russia, the applicant must have all necessary documents ready. You should submit these documents to the admission committee when you come to the educational organization. Here is a list of them:

1. Application for admission to study;
2. Identity and citizenship document + notarized translation;
3. A document of education, indicating the qualifications (degree), studied subjects and the grades obtained for the subject + a notarized translation;
4. Medical certificate of absence of HIV infection and contraindications for education in the country in Russian language or with notarized translation;
5. Your photo.

Check whether your documents need legalization in the country of issue. This is a stamp placed at the Consulate of the Russian Federation, confirming the authenticity of the document. Also, if your country has acceded to The Hague Convention, you can make an apostille.

More about all the necessary steps the candidate will be informed in the international department of the selected university, in the representation of Rossotrudnichestvo or consular institution in the country of residence.

Obtain a student visa and come to Russia

To enter the territory of Russia, foreigners need a passport and a study visa. With some countries in Russia there is an agreement on visa-free entry. You can apply for a training visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the Russian Federation in your country. To do this, it is necessary to receive an invitation from the host university, which is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (at the admission quota) or the university itself.

Visa is not an obligatory for applicants from a number of countries with which Russia has an agreement on visa-free regime, and citizens from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine can enter the country without a passport.

Immediately upon arrival, each foreign student must issue a policy of voluntary health insurance (VHI). The policy costs about 4,000-20,000 rubles (40-200 euros). Typically, VHI includes outpatient treatment, home visits, transportation costs, minimum dental care. For living in the country without a medical policy is subject to an administrative fine. 

Russian universities are expanding the infrastructure to provide hostels for foreign citizens, so there is no need to worry about an urgent search for housing. A small fee of 300 to 20,000 rubles (from 3 to 200 euros) is charged. The rooms are designed for two or four people and are equipped with everything necessary for life. Another option is rented accommodation. It can be a whole apartment or room, also popular to stay with the host family. The cost of rent varies from city and region. The larger and closer to the capital, the more expensive accommodation is. You can find rented accommodation through a real estate agency, websites «Cyan» or «Avito» and ads in social networks.

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