General Information.

In 1755, on 25 January, St. Tatiana's Day, Empress Elizaveta signed the decree that a university should be founded in Moscow.

In 1940 it was named after Academician Mikhail Lomonosov (1711 - 1765), an outstanding Russian scientist, who greatly contributed to the establishment of the university in Moscow.
Mikhail Lomonosov was one of the intellectual titans of XVIII century. The great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin described him as a person of formidable willpower and keen scientific mind, whose lifelong passion was learning. Lomonosov's interests ranged from history, rhetoric, art and poetry to mechanics, chemistry, mineralogy. His activity is a manifestation of the enormous potential of the Russian scientific community whose representatives occupied the leading positions in the world at the time.

Moscow State University is a major traditional educational institution in Russia, it offers training in almost all branches of modern science and humanities. Its undergraduates may choose one of 57 qualifications, while doctoral students may specialize in 168 different areas. The total number of MSU students exceeds 40,000; besides, about 10,000 high school students attend various clubs and courses at MSU.

MSU is a center of research science famous for its major scientific schools. There have been 11 Nobel Prize winners among its professors and alumni, out of 18 Russians who have received the prestigious prize so far. Many more MSU scientists have been awarded various Soviet and Russian prizes for their achievements, among them 60 Lenin Prizes and 120 State Prizes, over 40 MSU scientists having received the State Prizes over the last decade, 6 of them this year.
Among those who teach at MSU there are 2,500 higher doctoral degree holders and almost 6,000 holders of doctoral degrees, almost 1,000 full professors and 2,000 associate professors. The total number of full members and correspondent members of The Russian Academy of Sciences is about 300. About 5,000 scientists and scholars are currently involved in 310 research projects in various fields.

Moscow State University comprises 29 faculties and over 350 departments, 15 research institutes, 4 museums, the Science Park, the Botanical Gardens, The Library, the University Publishing House and printing shop, a recreational center and a boarding school for talented children. 9 faculties have been recently established, along with 47 new departments and 22 research laboratories. Research has recently started in 30 new interdisciplinary areas. At the moment the University Computer Center represents more computing power that any other educational institution in Russia. There have been major changes in the curricula, with over 200 new academic programs added.

The University's scientific potential creates a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary research and pioneering work in various branches of science. On average 800 doctoral and 200 higher doctoral degrees in various fields of science and humanities are awarded at MSU every year.
As training highly qualified specialists has always been the main goal, the faculties and departments constantly revise their curricula and introduce new programs. The stress is on student's ability to work independently and meet employer's requirements.

The curricula of all MSU faculties are based on the combination of academic instruction with student's research work and the combination of thorough theoretical knowledge with special skills.

MSU library is one of the largest in Russia, with its 9,000,000 books.

MSU collaborates with the International Association of Universities and has links with about 60 educational institutions, centers and unions in Europe, the USA, Japan, China and some other Asian countries, in Australia, Latin America, Arab countries.

Since 1946, when the first international students were admitted, over 11,000 highly qualified specialists from 150 countries have graduated from MSU. Over 2,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students enroll every year, with over 400 students in intensive Russian/University preparation programs.

Moscow University has well-established contacts with the most distinguished universities in the world, exchanging students and lecturers with the leading universities abroad.

In January 2005 Lomonosov Moscow State University celebrated its 250th anniversary.

All the history of the University is the evidence of the outstanding role its alumni have played promoting the ideas of freedom, common good, humanity, and truth.

Application

Letter of Invitation
To get the letter of invitation please send (by mail, fax or e-mail) the following documents:

1. the application form
2. the photocopy of the first two pages of your passport

1. Filled application form
2. Academic documentation, equivalent the academic documentation of Russian Federation, with the academic degree, the full list of learned subjects and full list of marks, with a notarized translation into Russian
• For Bachelor studies (BSc/BA): school-leaving certificate
• For Master studies (MSc/MA): Bachelor’s or Specialist’s degree-certificate
• For Post-graduate studies (Candidate’s degree): Master’s or Bachelor’s certificate
3. Transcript (the document showing the list of the subjects with results) with a notarized translation into Russian;
4. Evidence of the equivalent of the documentation about the education which was get abroad;
5. Certification (reference) showing the results of your test in the Russian language. If you took a course of Russian at MSU Centre of International Studies or in one of the universities of Russian Federation with the national accreditation, the certificate showing the results of your test in the Russian language.
6. Medical certificate, confirmed that you haven’t got contra-indications for study in RF and on the faculty you are applying to;
7. The AIDS test result, confirmed that you haven’t got AIDS, valid on the territory of Russian Federation;
8. Passport with visa and migration card;
9. Six photos size 3х4 cm.

Tuition
The academic year at MSU starts in September and ends in June (01.09-30.06.). The tuition for the degree of Bachelor (BSc/BA) 4 academic years; Specialist – 5 (5,5) academic years; Master (MSc/MA) – 2 academic years; Doctor (PhD) – 3 academic years. All the faculties provide the full-time tuition. Post-graduate studies can be either full-time, or part-time. All the courses are given in Russian. The applicants are enrolled according to the results of entrance examinations (interview, test).
The international applicants are supposed to take a test in Russian language or take a course of Russian at MSU Centre of International Studies. If you need to take a course of Russian language, please mark it in the the application.

MSU Faculties & Research Centers

MSU Faculties