Russia is the largest country in the world, home to some highly prestigious universities. From athletes like Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova, to composers like Tchaikovsky, or Shostakovich, and great authors like Tolstoi, Nabokov, or Dostoyevsky (…and all other “-evsky”s, and “-ov”s and “-ova”s), Russia gave us of the most influential people in history. Moscow and Saint Petersburg are Russia’s largest cities and two world-famous student hubs.
Russian universities have a great reputation, both locally and internationally. They are present in global university rankings and stand out from the rest when it comes to disciplines like Physics, Engineering, Medicine, and Social Sciences.
Compared to their Western counterparts, Russian universities are very affordable. Tuition fees range between 1,450 and 7,500 EUR per year, and only a few study programmes cost more than 10,000 EUR.
Living costs are also very low; most international students can handle all monthly expenses with a budget of 300–600 EUR.
During the past years, Russia invested a lot to attract international talents. So far, over 300,000 students choose to move to Russia and get an undergraduate or (post) graduate degree there.
Available scholarships and state-funded spots allow 15,000 students not to worry about tuition fees or living costs.
The investment part we've mentioned above isn't only limited to scholarships and grants. Russian dormitories and campuses are modern, with the same high level of comfort and utilities you'd expect from any other Western country.
Universities also pride themselves with cutting-edge technologies, laboratories, and research centres — facilities that are there to help students achieve their academic goals.
There are approximately 850 universities in Russia, and among the best ones are:
Most people who studied there praised the welcoming environment, and how teachers were easily approachable and willing to help. The selection process is very competitive, the environment dynamic, and the atmosphere multicultural.
Also, the universities encourage students to study on their own, giving them only guidelines and allowing them to go wild with the subjects. For this, they provide great facilities and amazing libraries.
Russia, being the behemoth country we know and love, is famous for covering all fields and offering Master’s degrees in all disciplines, ranging from Business Administration to Russian Studies (which sounds amazing, honestly).
Russia is famous for covering all fields and offering Master’s, Bachelors and PhD degrees in all disciplines.
Here are some of the most popular Bachelors in Russia:
If you're looking for Masters, there are plenty to choose from:
In Russia, the Ministry of Education and Science created a website that connects students with universities. You can find here contacts from the international department, descriptions for the programmes, and the curator’s phone number.
After you have settled on the university and programme, the documents you will need to present are:
You should note that all documents should be presented with an official copy, translated to Russian.
These kinds of courses enable degree-seeking students to get an extra educational boost just before they start their Master’s degree or other post-graduate degree programmes.
Try a pre-M.B.A., pre-Law, or pre-Medicine programme, as well as any other foundation or preparation courses that will allow you to study in the degree programme of your choice.
If you’re attending a degree programme in Russia, you will need to prove that your language skills are good enough to participate in the classes and understand the lectures. These courses will also prepare you for any of the English-language tests that universities require.
In order to follow a Master’s degree in English in Russia, you will have to submit, besides an English certificate, your previous diploma and a cover letter.
The English certificates accepted by Russian universities and organisations are the basic ones, like:
Some universities also accept GRE and GMAT certificates. Please refer to their webpage.
Still, be aware that some programmes may require you to submit your CV, a portfolio, references from teachers, and an interview in English, via phone or Skype.
* In the current situation, there is a lot of uncertainty about the economic, safety situation and right to free speech in Russia. International students should inform themselves carefully and be in touch with their consular services for advice. Here’s a link to Studyportals’ statement on the war in Ukraine.
Let's take a closer look at tuition and living expenses in Russia:
Russian universities are very affordable, especially when compared to similar institutions from Western countries. International students usually pay:
1,475–7,600 EUR/year for Specialist's degrees (degrees awarded after at least 5 years of study, e.g. Medical degrees)
Students can also apply for scholarships to support their education in Russia.
As we've established before, Russia is really affordable. Monthly living costs amount to 300–600 EUR.
Here's a breakdown of the average expenses:
The Russian Federation is situated in the eastern part of the Europe and the northern part of Asia. The capital city of the Russian Federation is Moscow. The population of the Russian Federation is 144 million with a density of 8.7 people per 1 sq. km.
Quick! When you think of Russia, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you said “vodka”, shame on you for being so culturally insensitive! Still, we can’t judge, because, on our research, we uncovered that:
Also, besides being huge fans of “water that burns”, you should know that Russians also possess some quirks that can only make you smile and shrug, saying to yourself “that’s Russia for you”. For instance:
Education initiatives created in the past years greatly encourage university international cooperation and academic exchange attracting Bachelors degree students and staff from all over the world. These policies also facilitate mobility of students, graduates and higher education staff. Specialized institutions help prepare students for their future careers and, most importantly, they offer broad global access to high-quality higher education.
The possibility to study worldwide, for instance in Australia, Asia, Europe or North America, opens up opportunities to see more of the world. Not just because you would have the opportunity to travel, but also because it is becoming increasingly easier to go abroad to follow a semester at a different university. There is a wide range of different study options, and one of them can prove to be your dream Bachelors degree programme.
The number of English-taught Bachelors degrees in the world has increased explosively in the last couple of years. Some of the countries with the most English-taught study programmes include Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States. However, higher education is often delivered in English in many other countries as well. From highly ranked research universities to smaller, specialised universities, the choices are endless.
A bachelors degree is an academic degree earned for an undergraduate course of study that could range in length of time. This depends on the country, discipline and sometimes the education institution. There is usually a difference between professional and academic bachelor programmes. A professional bachelor?s degree usually takes 4 to 5 years to complete, while an academic bachelor is 3 years long, in most countries. Although this is not always a general rule.
Bachelors degrees exist in almost every country in the world. The study programmes mainly lead to degrees such as: Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Law (LL.B.), Bachelor of Business (B.BA), amongst others.
A one-year honours degree can be achieved after the completion of a regular Bachelors degree in the same field. Sometimes, this means one year of research culminating with a written thesis. It is usually available only to students who achieve high scores in their previous years of undergraduate studies.
At some universities, you have the option of a joint honours degree. This requires at least half of the credits required for each of the respective majors (two subject areas). The subject areas do not have to be highly related, but they usually overlap both faculties and subjects.
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