Want to study in Russia in English? Russian universities are offering a growing number of degrees taught in English, and the Russian government is keen to attract international students, currently offering 15,000 state-funded places to international applicants, which include full tuition, dormitory accommodation and a monthly maintenance allowance of ₽1,630 (~US$25).
Read on to find out how you can find the right English-taught program for you, and how a degree from Russia, one of the world’s fastest-growing economic powers, could get your future career off to a strong start.
How to study in Russia in English
Although many Russian universities offer preparatory language courses to help students gain the necessarily skills to study in Russian, there are a range of English-taught programs available if you’d prefer English as the language of instruction.
The majority of courses taught entirely in English are at master’s level. A useful search tool for finding English-taught programs at Russian universities can be found on the website StudyinRussia.ru, allowing you to narrow down your search by degree level, field of study/subject, mode of study, course length, city, and of course your preferred language.
The exact requirements for getting admitted to an English-taught program at a Russian university will vary, but in general you will need to provide a document such as a diploma or certificate that certifies your previous education, a cover letter and proof of your English language proficiency with the required score on a test such as IELTS or TOEFL (not required if you’re a native speaker). Some universities might also ask for a CV, portfolio, references from teachers, and for you to complete a Skype or phone interview in English.
Russian universities offering undergraduate English-language programs
As mentioned above, the majority of opportunities to study in Russia in English are for master’s degrees, so you may need to be flexible about your choice of program. However, some universities do offer English-taught bachelor’s degrees, often in science subjects. Bachelor’s degrees in Russia take four years to complete. A quick search on the StudyInRussia.Ru’s search tool finds courses from Russian universities such as:
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) – Offers English-taught programs in aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering and computer science. The tuition fee for these is ₽400,000 per year (about US$6,100).
- National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) – Offers bilingual English/Russian programs in various subjects. Fees start at ₽211,640 (~US$3,230) per year.
- National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) – English-taught bachelor’s degrees are available in mathematics, politics, Russian studies, business, management and economics, some of which are double degree programs run in conjunction with the University of London.
- Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) – One of the few Russian universities to offer English-taught programs in humanities subjects (History, Politics), as well as linguistics, regional studies and state and municipal management. Fees start at US$3,300.
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University – Offers an English-taught bachelor’s degree in International Business, which has tuition fees of ₽262,000 (~US$4,000) per year for foreign students.
Russian universities offering graduate English-language programs
- Lomonosov Moscow State University – Offers programs in English within the faculties of biology, political science, economics, the business school and more.
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) – English-taught master’s degrees are available for mathematics, computer science, aerodynamics and more, with tuition currently standing at ₽400,000 (~US$6,100).
- National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) – 31 English-taught master’s degrees will be offered in 2019.
- National University of Science and Technology MISiS – English-taught postgraduate programs include the Physics of Condensed Matter and Quantum Technologies program, open in the areas of Physics and Astronomy and Materials Technology.
- Novosibirsk State University – Five master’s degrees taught in English are available, including classics, materials science and financial management. Tuition fees start at US$3,800 per year.
- Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) – Various master’s programs are on offer in English, such as organic farming, chemistry, economics, law, and international relations. Fees start at US$3,500 per year.
- Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University – Offers a range of English-taught master’s degrees in engineering, natural sciences, and management subjects. Tuition fees start at ₽280,800 (~US$4,300) per year.
- St Petersburg State University – In the 2019/20 academic year St Petersburg State University will offer 14 master’s degrees taught entirely in English, plus several other programs in German, French, Spanish and Italian.
- Tomsk Polytechnic University – English-taught master’s degrees are available in subjects such as nuclear medicine, big data solutions and physics. Fees start at ₽227,490 (~US$3,500) per year.
- Ural Federal University – Offers 13 fully-taught English master’s programs and one taught partially in English. Fees start at ₽222,900 (~US$3,400) per year, although high-achieving students may be able to get a discount.
Please note that these lists are not exhaustive. This article was originally published in November 2012. It was last updated in March 2019.
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