Through August 1996, there were two federal bodies that exercised management and administration over the educational system in the country: the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Higher Education.

The Ministry of Education was in charge of the elaboration and implementation of state policy in the field of pre-school, general, and professional education as well as of complementary education at the corresponding levels. The State Committee for Higher Education was responsible for the elaboration and implementation of state policy in the field of post-secondary education: non-university and university level higher education, doctoral studies, as well as of complementary education at the corresponding levels.

In August 1996, these two federal bodies were merged into one ministry with combined functions called the Ministry for General and Professional Education of the Russian Federation. In 1999 it was renamed for The Ministry of Education.

In addition to the Ministry of Education the state bodies for education in the constituent parts (republics, territories, regions, etc.) of the Russian Federation, and the local (municipal) administrative bodies are responsible for development of education. All of these bodies have administrative responsibilities for the educational establishments which they set up.

In the state higher education institutions, routine activities are supervised by Academic Councils that are headed by rectors. The term of offices of an Academic Council is five years. In the non-state educational establishments, supervision is the responsibility of their founders or of a trusteeship council (committee) appointed by the founders.

The direct administration of a higher education institution is the responsibility of the rector. The statute of the institution defines the demarcation between the functions of the Academic Council and of the rector of the institution.

Depending upon the structure of a given institution, Academic Councils may be set up in the faculties. The members are elected from among the academic staff. The terms of reference of Academic Councils are defined in the statutes of the institutions in question. Each faculty is headed by a dean who is elected by the Academic Council of the institution. Faculties are normally composed of chairs that are administered by their heads.

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In order to ensure quality and efficiency, a new national mechanism for quality control and assessment was introduced. This mechanism includes:

• The state educational standard;
• Licensing;
• State attestation and accreditation;

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The State educational standard is a set of nationally recognized requirements laid down by the State which determines a mandatory minimum for the contents of educational programs, the maximum work loads assigned to students, as well as general course loads and requirements to be met by graduates. The State Educational Standard of Higher Education was developed by Teaching and Methodological Associations. These Associations are formed of experts from higher education institutions in relevant fields of study on the basis of a competition organized by the State Committee for Higher Education and approved by Decree No. 940 of 12 August 1994 of the Government of the Russian Federation.

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Licensing is a procedure whereby an educational institution is granted the right to carry out educational programs in relevant fields of study (specialities) and at corresponding levels of education. It consists of the recognition of expertise, the taking of decisions, and the issuing of a duly worded authorization, i.e., a license.

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State accreditation is the formal recognition of the status of an education establishment by the State on the basis of solid evidence that its activities conform to nationally established requirements. The procedure results in the granting to the educational institution concerned the right to award Diplomas of the state format certifying the successful completion of an education program, to use a State seal of the Russian Federation, and to be included in the financing scheme of the State budget. State accreditation is applicable both to state educational establishments and to private institutions. For higher education institutions, State accreditation is regulated by a decree of the Ministry of Education. The accreditation procedure includes both a self-evaluation and a peer review.

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