Study in Russia

Russia is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and with an interesting history and past that has made it one of the most sought after destinations for studying different subjects at graduate and post graduate levels. Yes, there has been some conflict in the past, which led to students staying away from studying here, but over the past decade, this country offers you a spectacular zone for studying diverse subjects. It sprawls across two continents and has 9 time zones. Russia remains to be the largest country in the world by far. With a rich cultural heritage, adverse diversities - when it comes to geography - and the home to some of the richest institutions in the world when it come education.

Emerging as one of the most rapidly growing economies across the world, Russia decided to internationalize its higher education system and started developing its universities and extending support for international applicants.

Standard Russian University Requirements

The majority of courses taught in the universities here are in the native Russian language. Hence, anyone wanting to study here should first try and master the language. There are plenty of choices for learning or continuing education in English too, but the vast majority focus on Russian.

In spite of this, the low education cost and highly skilled set of teachers are a major attraction for students here from across the world. Those who are not confident of their language skills can make use of the one-year preparatory courses for international students. This has been specifically designed to help students get the required standard quickly. One can also undertake a program taught in the English language, which are offered at some Russian universities. International students would notice that English-language master’s programs are much more common as compared to undergraduate ones. The Russian academic year runs from September to June, split into two semesters.

Russian student visas, scholarships and costs

If you have been granted permission to study in Russia, the university’s international department would then take the initiative of filing an application for a Russian student visa on your behalf. The process here takes between three and five weeks and costs about US$40. All visas are registered within 7 business days after arriving in Russia. But this visa only covers your stay for three months. Those planning to stay longer here then have to get a visa extension. The process would also include providing results of a medical examination and HIV test.

Scholarships

There are many different kinds of state scholarships available for foreign students each year. These would cover your tuition fees, accommodation and medical insurance. These payments are currently RUB 75,000 (US$1,200) per month, but don’t include travel or personal expenses. One requires a minimum of  $50 a month for the same.

Without scholarships one requires about US$6,000 and US$10,000 per year for fees and living costs. This also varies on the course and location. In recent years, the tuition fees have increased recently in Russian universities, but they are relatively compared to other international study destinations and range about US$3,900-7,700 a year.

At Russian universities, you can get courses in almost any profession currently in demand on the global market. There is an option to study funded by the Russian federation, which applies to foreign students too. For becoming eligible one has to-
  • Become a winner of one of the Academic Competitions held in Russia or abroad
  • Pass the Unified State Examination or entrance exams
  • Pass competitive selection for a government scholarship (quota)
One benefit here is that students are eligible to obtain part-time work, with a valid work permit. They can either work on-campus or elsewhere.

Eligibility criteria for Russian student visa

  • You must have a valid and signed passport with at least two blank pages
  • Your passport must have a validity that extends the duration of the visa you are applying for by at least 6 months
  • You must have a copy of your Russian visa application form, completed and signed by you
  • You must have the original letter of invitation issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its Regional Office or the University or educational institute
  • You must possess certificates of your current diploma or degree or educational qualification
  • You must provide proof of tuition fee payment to the University or College or Institute where you plan to study
  • You must provide an original HIV (AIDS) Test Certificate showing a negative result - conducted more than three months ago
  • You must display your intention to leave Russia at the end of your authorized stay

Competitive Selection for Undergraduate course

There are different kinds of competitive and selection procedures here too.

The Entrance Exams and Introductory Unified State Examination (EGE) is one of them. You can use the results of the Unified State Examination (EGE) or pass admission tests. High school graduates for getting admission into graduation degrees take this. As an international applicant, you too have to sit through the same. There are also some universities conduct separate admissions exams for international students.

Academic Competitions


There are many different kinds of academic competitions held in Russia where international students who are selected can expect enrolment in Russian universities without examinations or under preferential conditions. The Russian universities may conduct tests individually or jointly and then pick international applicants based on the results. Sometimes, the representatives of universities may visit your home country and take the test. The university will send the invitation. You will need an original invitation to submit the visa application. The top courses in Russia include:

Medicine

One of the most popular subjects to study in Russia is medicine. With more than 50 colleges for medicine, the main attraction of the subject here is the low cost of education as compared to other European countries. All  the institutes Russia, which teach medicine are well equipped with excellent research labs and teaching staff. The Russian medicine degrees are globally recognized. In fact, they have also received very high ranking by WHO and UNESCO. As per statistics, Russia has 30 colleges listed in the rank list of top 100 medical colleges in the world. So here students are able to get a blend of latest education and state of the art facilities in a European continent but with lower costs. In fact, studying medicine here is cheaper than courses in Singapore or India, with costs not exceeding more 20,000-25,000 USD for the complete degree.

Eligibility for studying and getting admission in medicine

To be eligible to qualify and get admission through the medical colleges here, the minimum eligibility requirements are a 10+2 or Higher Secondary equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English with 50% marks aggregate in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Also, some of the universities may have an eligibility test or exam required, post which you will get an invitation for studying at the same. The top universities for studying medicine related courses in Russia are-
  • Tver State Medical Academy
  • Lomonosov Moscow State University
  • Russian State Medical University, Moscow
  • Volgograd State Medical University, Volgograd
  • Kursk State Medical University, Kursk
  • Stavropol State Medical Academy, Stavropol
  • Kazan State Medical University, KAZAN
  • Yaroslavl State Medical Academy
  • St. Petersburg I.P.Pavlov State Medical Academy
  • I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy
  • People’s Friendship University of Russia, Moscow

Engineering

Russia remains to be one of the most advanced countries in the world when it comes to the industrial process and engineering education. With more than 300 years of history in engineering education that started with the industrial progress, Russia has only evolved and focused more on the educational front. The process of concrete engineering education in Russia was laid by the foundation of the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences in Moscow in accordance with Tsar Peter the Great’s Decree dated 27 January 1701.
Today Russia has emerged as the first and the biggest educational institution in Europe of its type. Universities where you can study the same include:

  • Tver State Technical University Moscow Power Engineering Institute(Technical University)
  • Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation
  • Moscow State Automobile and Road Institute (MADI)
  • Moscow International Business High School (MIRBIS)
  • Moscow State Technical University named after N.E. BAUMAN, Moscow
  • Kursk State Technical University
  • Tomsk Polytechnic University

Aviation

One of the top-tier aviation institutes in the country is the Moscow Aviation Institute, which comes under the National Research University and remains to be the world’s leading engineering universities that is solely dedicated to aerospace technologies. As per statistics, there are more than 140,000 students including 1,000 international students from 40 different countries who have graduated from here since 1930, when it was first inaugurated. Starting with just 290 students in two schools, the university of aerospace technologies consists has about 1,700 professors and lecturers including both 300 full-professors (D.Sc) and 800 associate professors (Ph.D). The number of undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students now exceeds 20,000, spread across 10 schools, 3 institutes, and 4 branches of the University. Alumni of this institute boast of about
  • 100 general and chief designers
  • 43 members and associate members of the Russian academy of science
  • 250 State and Government Prize laureates
  • 21 cosmonauts who spent 12 years in outer space
Aviation in Russia makes use of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. There are about 20 laboratories, 3 student design offices, many computer centres, an exclusive experimental-design factory, and an aerodrome are available for the students. It is an advancing multiple-discipline academic and research centre that is at par with current-technology knowledge.

History

Being a nation of such diverse history and culture, there is no doubt that history remains to be one of the most popular subjects here. Russia offers a range of undergraduate program of four years of residence for Bachelor's Degree (BA). There is also the Master's Degree program of 2 years and the Doctorate program of 3 years.  Applicants for the Master's program must have received a Bachelor's degree prior to being granted admission. An Undergraduate students can explore any one of the 5 areas of studies-
  • History
  • History of Fine Arts
  • International Relations
  • Politology
  • Cultural Tourism
All applicants must have an academic background matching their intended specialization, along with a grasp over Russian.

For latest admission guidelines see Russia-Education.info

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