Russia boasts a long-standing tradition of higher education and is home to many world-famous universities. What sound advice can you follow when selecting a university to study in Russia? What characteristics do Russian universities have?

1. Universities with Special Status

As a unique research and education complex, Saint Petersburg State University enjoys special legal status in Russia. It is Russia’s oldest university and carries great significance for the development of Russian society. Over the past decade, Mr. Zhou, the author, graduated from Saint Petersburg State University and later pursued postgraduate studies at Moscow State University of Education. When the diplomacy professors at Moscow State University of Education saw his diploma from Saint Petersburg State University, they were visibly impressed and remarked that it was an outstanding university. This demonstrates the high standing of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University among Russian people.

In November 2009, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree granting Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University special status as “unique scientific and educational complexes, the oldest universities in the country, of great importance to the development of Russian society.” Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University are authorised to issue distinctive diplomas bearing official symbols of the Russian Federation.

2. National Research Universities

National Research Universities can be loosely understood as Russia’s equivalent of China’s 985 / Double First-Class universities. They generally possess solid academic foundations, and many of their alumni are Nobel laureates. Backed by substantial government funding, they aim to secure strong positions in major global university rankings.

12 universities obtained National Research University status in 2009 and 2010. By 2015, the total number rose to 21, most of which are ranked within the world’s top 500 universities.

The majority of National Research Universities are prestigious Russian institutions, while a small number are allocated to remote regional areas, similar to China’s approach. On 7 November 2018, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation classified these 21 universities into three tiers based on their ranking performance in recent years:

Tier 1: National Research University Higher School of Economics, ITMO University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, National University of Science and Technology MISIS, Tomsk State University, Novosibirsk State University.

Tier 2: Kazan Federal University, RUDN University, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tyumen State University, Ural Federal University.

Tier 3: Baltic Federal University, Far Eastern Federal University, Samara State University, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University, Siberian Federal University, Lobachevsky University Nizhny Novgorod, South Ural State University.

3. Federal Universities

Federal Universities serve as the principal higher education institutions and federal scientific and educational hubs within their respective federal districts. As of 2016, Russia had 10 Federal Universities. Examples include Kazan Federal University, Ural Federal University and Far Eastern Federal University. They are generally multidisciplinary comprehensive universities. Most are well-established Russian universities, though some have been formed through institutional mergers in recent years.

4. Other Less Well-Known Universities across Different Cities

This does not mean these schools are inferior. After all, Russia is not a mainstream destination for overseas study, and only a small number of Chinese students choose these universities, so they will not be covered in detail here.

Besides the above categories, many Russian specialised universities fall outside the National Research University and Federal University frameworks. Examples include MGIMO University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University. These specialised academies and universities focus on training professionals in specific fields, among which art schools stand out, such as the Repin Saint Petersburg State Academic Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Saint Petersburg Conservatory, and the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts.