Higher Education in RussiaRussia has a well-respected higher education system which is comprised of over 1000 institutions of which about 650 are state-owned and 450 are private institutions. Ongoing consolidation of schools and rising standards may result in a decrease in the number of schools in future years. Russians are a highly education population with more than half of the adult population having obtained a tertiary education, according to a 2005 UNESCO report. In addition, students typically enroll in five or six year programs rather than three or four-year programs that are more common elsewhere in the world. All higher education institutions must be licensed by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science which is responsible for policy and regulation of higher education institutions. Most higher education students attend state-run institutions, however, admission to state universities is competitive so not all students who want to attend are able to qualify. Bribes are often paid to bypass admissions requirements. Private institutions have loose admission requirements but are costly in comparison to state-run schools. Types of Schools and DegreesThere are broad-based schools which are called universities and many specialized schools which may be called universities, institutes, polytechnics, academies or conservatories. State institutions are the most highly regarded and the lowest cost. Private institutions tend to focus on practical subject areas such as economics, law and business administration. Russia signed Europe's Bologna agreement in 2003, thus starting a reform of their degree structure to move away from their traditional five-year specialist diplomas which are incompatible with western degrees. The new standard includes four-year bachelor's and two-year master's degrees which conform to the guidelines defined by the Bologna agreement agreed to by 29 European nations. Many schools still offer the traditional specialist diplomas as well. Despite the introduction of a four-year bachelor's degree, the majority of students complete either a specialist's diploma or a master's degree program as the bachelor's degree is not yet considered valuable by students and employers. The post-graduate structure remains unchanged with scientific degrees earned through scientific research achievement and academic titles being conferred to active university staffs who have already obtained the highest level scientific post-graduate degree. The highest level of scientific degree typically requires 10 years of dedicated scientific research after earning a lower level post-graduate degree. International StudentsThe bulk of international students studying in Russia currently come from former Soviet Union countries. Russian language proficiency is required for most degree programs although there are some courses taught in English that are targeted at international students. Students who want to take traditional courses need to pass a Russian language exam and may need to take a university entrance exam and give an oral interview. Many students study in Russia for a semester or two through an exchange program at their own school. This is the best way to ensure that credit will be given for coursework completed there. Those looking for a short-term experience and who aren't concerned about credits may want to enroll in a private language school. Tuition varies by institution and type of program but is lower than tuition in many other countries. About RussiaRussia is the largest country in the world in terms of land mass. It stretches across Europe and Asia from Norway to the Pacific Ocean and spans 11 time zones. It is the seventh most populated country with about 139 million people but is expected to decrease by about 600, 000 people a year. Its economy is the eighth largest according to the International Monetary Fund although per capita GDP was 59th out of 182 countries in 2006. The Russian economy has improved greatly over the past decade with average salaries increasing eight-fold in the eight years ending in 2008. ResourcesEducation in Russia for Foreigners
Russian Ministry of Education and Science