St. Petersburg State University

St. Petersburg State University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. It has a rich historic heritage and modern research and educational infrastructure.

Today SPbU is one of the largest scientific and educational centers in Europe and the world and the only university in Russia that celebrated its 300th anniversary.

SpbU offers applicants a wide range of majors in all fields of knowledge, including natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, physics and mathematics, and computer and information sciences.

For six years, SPbU has been the most popular Russian university among international applicants.

spbu.ru
VK –  @spb1724
Telegram – @go_to_spbu
Rutube

Advantages of studying at SPbU

• University’s educational standards
• Interdisciplinary degree programs that fully comply with the requirements of tomorrow
• University-issued certificates in Russian and English
• Advanced educational technologies and methods
• Graduates’ competitive edge in the international job market
• Participation in international exchange and partnership programs

International Infrastructure

• St. Petersburg State University in Cairo
• Joint university of SPbU and Harbin Institute of Technology
• SPbU branch in Tashkent
• 14 representative offices of SPbU abroad
• Over 100 Russian language centers in 38 countries

Admission Campaign-2025

In 2025, SPbU admitted:

• 1,250 foreign citizens to state-funded places (within the Russian Government quota)
• Around 650 foreign citizens (fee-paying places)

Admission

Foreign citizens are admitted in state-funded places as part of the Russian Government quota in the format of Open International Olympiads in order to identify and support international students.

+7 (812) 363-66-33
admission@spbu.ru
13B, Universitetskaya Embankment, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Olympiads

• Olympiad for international school students (admission to Bachelor's and Specialist's programs)
• Olympiad for international Bachelor's programs (admission to Master's programs)
• Olympiad for international Specialist's and Master's programs (admission to PhD programs)

More information about participation in Olympiads

How to apply?

Online via Applicant’s Personal Account.cabinet.spbu.ru

Entrance exams

are held in the format of portfolio competition and test of Russian as a foreign language.

Online Events for International Applicants

You can get up-to-date information on the university, aspects of admission, educational programs, and life in Russia in different languages:

• Russian
• English
• Arabic
• Turkish
• Chinese
• Portuguese
• Spanish
• French

Online Events for International Applicants

Admission of Foreign Citizens

Telegram – @SPbU_inpriem

SPbPU Preparatory Department for International Applicants

1st semester is devoted entirely to learning the Russian language – 24 hours per week.

2nd semester includes 15 hours of the Russian language per week and the Introduction to the Language of the Major course.

Students prepare for a Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL–1 level) and entrance exams in subjects, depending on the chosen major:

• Natural Sciences – Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry
• Engineering and Technology – Mathematics, Physics, Informatics
• Humanities – Social Science, History, Literature
• Economics – Social Science, History, Mathematics
• Medicine and Biology – Physics, Chemistry, Biology

Students who have successfully completed the preparatory course get a standard SPbU certificate.

SPbU Online School

The SPbU Online School is a unique educational project that is one-of-a-kind in the Russian Federation. It is aimed at preserving the Russian language and culture in the international arena and allows Russian-speaking school students from all over the world to gain knowledge in Russian, pursue Russian education programs, and develop their erudition and broaden their outlook.

The SPbU Online School offers Russian-speaking school students from all over the world an opportunity to pursue free online main educational programs of basic general education and secondary general education in full according to the federal educational standard or study only particular subjects of the programs in the supplementary education format. Graduates, who have successfully completed the main educational program and passed state final attestation and get an educational certificate issued by the Russian Government.

Throughout its existence, the project has covered 34 countries, and over 12,000 school students living outside Russia have taken part in the project.

Training programs

online-school@spbu.ru

Document submission deadline is June 20

Infrastructure

• 50+ scientific centers, institutes, and laboratories, over 15 of which were established as part of the Russian Government Megagrant Program and SPbU’s major competitive programs.
• The scientific park includes 22 resource centers that are arranged in groups according to the main areas of the SPbU Development Program: Nanotechnologies and Materials Science; Biomedicine and Human Health; Ecology and Nature Management; and Information Systems and Technologies.
• M. Gorky Scientific Library of SPbU is one of the best university libraries in Russia. It has more than 7 million printed books and manuscripts and over 100,000 electronic sources, including scientific journals, monographs, theses, reference books, etc.
• SPbU halls of residence are located in three districts of Saint Petersburg: Vasileostrovsky, Petrodvortsovy, and Nevsky. There are recreation rooms, laundry rooms, cafés, stores, gyms and sports grounds, and Wi-Fi connection in the halls of residence

SPbU Online Courses for African Students

To popularize the Russian language and culture on the African continent, the university actively promotes Russian language courses not only offline but also online. All foreign citizens from Zimbabwe, the Republic of South Africa, Kenya, Algeria, Niger, Tunisia, Gambia, Zambia, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mauritius can sign up for online Russian language courses. After completing the course, students can assess their new language skills taking an official Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL).

Courses of Russian as a foreign language in Africa

Testimonials from African students who completed the online course