About Russia

The largest country in the world, Russia has been a formidable presence throughout modern history. Spanning both Asia and Europe, Russia brings a rich history and cultural heritage to those who choose to pursue their studies in this country. With extensive mineral and energy resources, Russia has some of the world's largest supplies of oil and natural gas in the world.

Russia is known for its many contributions to science, literature and music. Tchaikovsky, one of the world's most famous composers, was a Russian, as was the author Dostoevsky. Russia also took the first object and the first manned craft into space. It is through Russia's impact on culture and its contributions to science that the country has made its mark on the world.

What Is the Law System Like in Russia?

Russia has several courts in its legal system. These include the Constitutional Court, which is in charge of enforcing international law and the constitution. It also has the "Arbitrazh" courts, which settle property and commercial disputes, and the civil courts, which handle criminal cases and appealed cases that do not fall in the jurisdiction of other courts. Russia's legal system is unique in its structure, but it most closely resembles the civil law structure.

Educational System in Russia

Although Russia provides free education for all its citizens as guaranteed by their Constitution, admittance

into a post-secondary higher education institutions is extremely competitive.Because the Russian governmental sector is responsible for regulating the educational system there is a strong emphasis

on earning degrees in technological and scientific fields of study.Students wishing to major in these fields should have advanced competency in their chosen subject areas as well as excellent grades in

order to be accepted

into a Russian university.

In addition to allocating funding for student tuition fees, Russia also pays overseas students a small stipend and provides free housing for them as well.The country has also eliminated a lot of red tape that used to prevent or delay foreign students

from attending a Russian university.Now that the application system is more streamlined, students who have attended American, German, Danish, Chinese, Italian and Japanese universities will experience minimal to no issues in regards to transferring to a Russian university.

Russia is currently in the process of switching its traditional higher education degree model to one that is much more compatible

with Western-type academic degrees.In 2003, Russia signed the Bologna Declaration which paved the way for the government to enact a law that removed its old, five- year degree model to one that resembles the U.S.degree system --the four- year bachelor degree followed by a master's degree.However, the postdoctorate degree still retains the traditional, Soviet

Union

pattern

that

was

established

nearly

90

years

ago

.

Basically

,

PhDs

in

Russia

are

defined

and

earned

according

to

the

depth

of

a

student

'

s

personal

achievements

in

scientific

research

(

<

em

>

doktor

nauk

<

/

em

>

,

or

doctor

of

science

)

or

academic

research

.

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/

p

>

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p

>

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strong

>

Popular

Russian

Universities

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strong

>

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p

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p

>

The

largest

and

oldest

universities

in

Russia

are

the

Saint

Petersburg

State

University

and

the

Moscow

State

University

.

During

the

2000s

,

the

government

initiated

a

program

that

established

""

federal

""

universities

by

merging

higher

education

institutions

that

already

existed

and

allocating

special

funding

grants

to

them

.

Some

of

these

newer

universities

include

Kazan

Volga

Federal

University

,

Siberian

Federal

University

and

North

-

Eastern

Federal

University

.

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/

p

>

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p

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strong

>

Attending

a

University

in

Russia

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/

strong

>

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/

p

>

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p

>

Since

the

majority

of

Russian

universities

teach

classes

in

Russian

,

students

should

at

least

have

a

rudimentary

knowledge

of

the

language

prior

to

applying

to

a

university

.

It

is

mandatory

for

all

foreign

students

to

take

a

Russian

language

course

as

part

of

their

curriculum

,

unless

they

can

prove

they

do not need it.

International students can work part-time while enrolled in a degree program. Be aware that employers of international students must have a special license that shows they are allowed to hire foreign students before students can legally work for them.

Applying to a Russian university requires submission of the following documents:

• Application form indicating desired field of study

• Certified copy of a diploma or other educational certificate indicating the student is eligible to enroll in a higher education program

• An authorized health certificate and copy of an HIV blood test result issued by a health insurance company that is accredited by the Russian Consulate

• Certified copy of a birth certificate

• 4 x 6 sized passport photos (include at least six of these photos)

Why Study in Russia?

Russia's higher educational system is rigorous, competitive and recognized globally for its degrees that consistently have high UNESCO and WHO ratings. To specifically attract international students, Russian universities provide 100 percent tuition fee concessions as well as generous scholarships. In addition, Russia is a fascinating, diverse and historically influential country that offers foreign students a wealth of new and enriching experiences.