Frequently Asked Questions

Currently (November 2020), the Russian borders are open for citizens of Great Britain, Switzerland, Turkey, Egypt, UAE, Maldives, Tanzania, and three CIS countries: Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

We cannot say for certain when the borders will open for other countries. This will likely depend on international developments in the pandemic situation.

Once borders open around the world, international students will receive their visa invitations and will be able to enter Russia.

At the moment, most Russian students and all international students are studying remotely. This decision was made to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of students and university staff.

You can only apply for a fee-paying course through Russia.Study.

To participate in a scholarship competition from the Russian Government, contact the Russian Center of Science and Culture in your country. If you do not have this center in your country, contact your Russian embassy.

1. Apply at https://russia.study/en/public/howToApply. We will be in contact to help you choose your desired program and universities (you can apply to up to six universities);
2. Prepare the following documents (in your native language): passport (or ID card) and diploma (or a certificate verifying that you are currently completing your studies);
3. Wait for an answer from the universities — this may take one to three business days;
4. Pay for the enrollment support service (you can confirm the cost with your Russia.Study's advisor or here https://russia.study/en/public/howToApply);
5. Wait for us to send you a visa invitation;
6. Get your visa and study in Russia!

Please note that while international borders are closed, we are unable to issue visa invitations. Classes will be held online. However, as soon as the borders open, we will prepare a visa invitation for you and you will be able to enter Russia.

Yes, of course! You're generally more likely to win an educational scholarship if you speak Russian. You can apply for a scholarship every year, even if you're already studying on a fee-paying basis.

We can offer you guaranteed enrollment at a university. Your Russia.Study advisor will support you online until you are admitted to a university and begin your studies. What help will the advisor provide?

• Choose the appropriate programs and universities for you;
• Forward your documents to the universities and let you know when your application is approved;
• Send your admission letter and visa invitation once the borders open;
• Help you write a statement of interest for the university (when requested);
• Send the enrollment contract, forward your signed contract to the university, and explain how to begin your studies.

When you apply through Russia.Study, we can guarantee your admission to a university. How do we do it?

• We have more than 70 partner universities interested in accepting international students;
• We check your documents thoroughly for compliance with university requirements;
• We choose the universities that are most likely to admit you as a student;
• We send your application to six universities simultaneously to ensure that you have the highest possible chance of enrollment.

We have a money-back guarantee for anyone who fails to enroll in a Russian university vía Russia.Study through our fault.

To submit an application, you will need two documents: your passport (or ID card) and diploma or secondary school certificate and transcript (if you do not have a diploma or certificate, you may provide a certificate confirming that you are in your final year of school or university). Copies of these documents are generally accepted for the first stage.

You will need to provide translated copies of these documents once your application is approved by the universities.

You will need to provide your original passport, diploma/secondary school certificate and transcript, as well as the notarized copies of these documents translated into Russian. When you enter Russia, you will need to provide the original and certified translated copies of a health certificate and a certificate proving that you are HIV-negative.

For a university to accept the copies of documents translated into Russian, they must be certified by a licensed Russian notary. You can request notarized translations for all of these required documents online through Russia.Study:

https://russia.study/en/public-material/translation-and-notarization-of-the-documents

Use the Program Navigator https://russia.study/en/programs (Home -> Upper Menu -> Section Programs). Please note: to see all available programs, check the boxes for the two filters in the Program Navigator: "Universities accepting online applications", "Programs currently accepting applications". If you require a Russian Language Preparatory Faculty, check the box in the third filter "Preparatory courses".

Use the University Navigator https://russia.study/en/universities (Home -> Upper Menu -> Section Universities). Don't forget to check the box for the filter "Universities accepting online applications". Russia.Study can help you enroll at more than 70 partner universities.

Yes, of course! After you submit your application, you will see the contact information for your advisor on the left side of your personal account. Your advisor will answer all your questions about living and studying in Russia and will recommend the best universities for you.

For each application, you can choose one educational program and up to six universities. We will forward your application to each university and you will be approved by at least one of your choices. When a university approves your application, that means the university is ready to admit you.

Tuition fees in Russia depend on the educational program and university, as well as the city where you study. On average, a bachelor's degree program costs between $700 and $4,000 per year, and a master's degree or a postgraduate program costs between $1,200 and $4,000 per year.

The tuition fee only covers the cost of classes. Students pay separately for other expenses, including accommodation, food, public transport, etc. For more information, see the other question "How much should an international student in Russia expect to spend per month?".

Usually, you pay the tuition fees after arriving in Russia, directly at the university. However, due to the pandemic, the tuition fee will be paid remotely. We will send you the payment instructions once your enrollment contract is signed. Depending on the university, you can pay your tuition fees online through the university website or through the bank. The tuition fee is generally paid in US dollars or euros.

Most universities allow you to pay your tuition fee by semester, but you should check with your advisor on Russia.Study to be sure.

Don't worry, you don't need to speak Russian to enroll at a Russian university. Universities have a Russian Language Preparatory Faculty specifically for international students. This course will teach you both the Russian language and the basic knowledge needed for your university program. For example, if you want to study at General Medicine, you will be taught chemistry and biology through the Preparatory Faculty. You can find more information about the Preparatory Faculty here: https://russia.study/en/public-material/preparatory-departments

Students generally study at the Preparatory Faculty for one academic year, until June or July. However, this may not always be the case. Depending on the intensity of your studies, the Preparatory Course may last from six months to a year and a half. You can find more information about the Preparatory Faculty here: https://russia.study/en/public-material/preparatory-departments

No, you do not need to pass an exam to enroll at the Preparatory Faculty.

Upon the completion of the Preparatory Course, you will need to pass an exam in Russian and your major subjects. Then, to enter the major educational program (bachelor's, master's, or postgraduate program), you will need to pass an entrance exam. International students who have completed the Preparatory Course usually pass their exams without any problems.

Yes, all international students in Russia must have a medical insurance policy in accordance with the Russian law (Federal Laws No. 114-FZ and 115-FZ). 

You will need insurance when you enroll at your Russian university and when you are assigned accommodation. Citizens of some countries will also need insurance when applying for their educational visa to Russia. Moreover, insurance is a reliable and cost-efficient way to protect your health.

You can purchase insurance online through Russia.Study: https://russia.study/insurancestore/en

You should purchase insurance before entering Russia to make sure you don't have any problems when crossing the Russian border. You can buy insurance through Russia.Study in advance and specify the effective date of your insurance policy. For example, you can buy insurance today and specify February 1st as the effective date of your policy.

You can purchase insurance online through Russia.Study: https://russia.study/insurancestore/en

lmost every Russian university offers student accommodation. You can also refuse your space in the university accommodation and rent a room or apartment on your own.

On average, university accommodation costs between $20 and $100 per month, depending on the university and the city where the university is located.

Generally, university accommodation is equipped with all of the essentials for student life. They have leisure areas, study zones, game rooms, laundries, kitchens, and dining rooms or snack bars. Typically, rooms can accommodate from 1 to 5 students.

The average monthly budget of an international student in Russia is about $320. About $200 is spent on food and leisure activities, $20–$100 on accommodation, and about $20 on public transport (subway, buses, trams, and trolley buses).

Yes, international students may work in Russia. However, it is important that your work does not interfere with your education. You can only work during your free time, when you don't have classes scheduled.

As of August 05, 2020, international students are allowed to work legally without obtaining any special permit. All you need is a certificate confirming that you are a university student. You can get this certificate through the department of international relations at your university.

We generally send visa invitations to accepted students a month before the start of their course. However, the processing of visa invitations for international students is currently suspended due to international border restrictions.

As soon as the borders open, we will be able to start preparing visa invitations for students. Once you receive a visa invitation, you will be able to apply for your student visa at the Russian embassy in your country.

The list of required documents may vary from country to country. We recommend that you verify with the Russian embassy in your country. The standard list of required documents includes your visa invitation, passport, and visa application (issued at the embassy). Some countries also require a medical insurance policy.

Please, write to info@russia.study and we will send you a new activation letter.

If you are looking for a general medical education program, you need a General Medicine (31.05.01) major. To search for this program, you can go to the advanced search section https://russia.study/en/universities and enter 31.05.01 in the “Educational program” field.

Once you have selected an educational program, only the organizations that implement the selected program can be added to the application editing form. If you can't find a university in the list of available universities, check which programs available at this university using https://russia.study/en/programs

Please indicate your country of citizenship when registering. If you do not have citizenship, indicate your country of residence.

Compatriots are citizens of one of the following categories:

1. Persons born in one state, now residing or used to reside in it and showing evidence for common language, history, cultural heritage, traditions and customs, as well as lineal descendants of these persons.
2. Citizens of the Russian Federation residing abroad.
3. Also, persons and their descendants residing outside the territory of the Russian Federation and, as a rule, peoples historically residing in the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as those who have made a free choice in favor of spiritual, cultural and legal liaison with the Russian Federation, persons whose lineal relatives used to live in the territory of the Russian Federation, including

• Persons who had the USSR citizenship, residing in the countries of the former USSR, who subsequently became citizens in these countries or stateless persons;
• Emigrants (natives) from the Russian State, the Russian Republic, the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), the USSR and the Russian Federation, who had the appropriate citizenship and became citizens of a foreign country or stateless persons.

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