Universities and Colleges in Russia - Courses, Fees, Scholarships, Admission Requirements & Grades

Known for offerimg higher education at affordable costs, Russia is among the fastest growing study abroad destinations among Indians, housing around 31,000 Indian students, a number that has increased for the third consecutive year per the data shared by India's Union Minister of State for Education: Mamta Shekhawat. The increase in the numbers can be atributed to a number of factors including affordable cost of studies, top 500 global universities & greater availablity of resources.

Moscow, the capital, houses a number of world class universities such as: Lomonosov Moscow State University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, RUDN University, Saint Petersburg State University, and Kazan Federal University.

In order to get enrolled as a student in any Russian university, all interested students must appear for at least one of the following English proficiency exam(s): IELTS/TOEFL.

Universities in Russia: Highlights

Parameter	Statistics
Number of universities in Russia	64
Tuition fees of universities in Russia	INR 10 L - 40 L
Top Streams in Russia	MBBS, MBA/PGDM, MIM, MS, MD, BDS
English language exams required	IELTS/TOEFL

Why Study in Russia?

Russia offers higher education degrees that are accepted and recognized throughout the world and the majority of Russian courses encourage students to obtain experience while they are enrolled, providing them with professional experience.

A wide variety of scholarships are available to support education, and one of the main draws is the country's affordable educational system. International students holding a work permit and or those enrolled in a full-time program at a state-accredited university are permitted to work part-time jobs.

Here’s all you need to know about studying in Russia.

Top Universities in Russia

Lomonosov Moscow, Bauman Moscow State, and RUDN University are some of the best institutions in Russia for higher education.

Given below is the list of the top 10 universities in Russia as per some of the top university ranking bodies:

Here’s detailed information about top-ranked universities in Russia:

University	Shiksha National University Rankings 2025	QS Rank 2025
Lomonosov Moscow State University	#1	#94
IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University	#2	#791-800
Novosibirsk National Research State University	#3	#442
Saint Petersburg State University	#4	#365
Ural Federal University	#5	#516
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI	#6	#497
Kazan Federal (Volga) University	#7	#401
ITMO University	#8	#595
People's Friendship University of Russia	#9	-
Far Eastern Federal University	#10	#631-#640

Best Business & Management Universities in Russia:

As per the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings 2025 for Business & Management, the top universities in Russia are:

University Name	QS Subject 2025
HSE University	#137
Lomonosov Moscow State University	#201-250
Bauman Moscow State Technical University	#251-300
Plekahnov Russian University of Economics	#251-300
Saint Petersburg State University	#251-300
Ural Federal University	#301-350
Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation	#401-450
RUDN University	#401-450
MGIMO University	#501-550
Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University	#601-650

Best Engineering Universities in Russia:

As per QS some of the best universities in Russia for higher studies are:

University Name	QS Subject Rankings
Lomonosov Moscow State University	#79
Bauman Moscow State Technical University	#173
RUDN University	#203
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology	#223
Saint Peterburg State University	#231
ITMO University	#246
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University	#288
Tomsk State University	#308
Ural Federal University - UrFU	#314
National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University	#320

Top Courses in Russia

Russia is known for its quality of teaching and world-class programs all around the globe. Most of the Russian universities offer popular courses such as the MBA/PGDM, MS, BBA, BE/BTech, MIM and more.

Top Courses in Russia	Count of Universities
MBBS	58
MBA/PGDM	4
MIM	4
MS	3
MD	2
BDS	2
MPH	1
BSN	1
LLB	1

Admission Requirements to Study in Russia

Listed below are the details:

Entrance exams accepted by universities in Russia:

A few universities in Russia may require GMAT/GRE scores as an entry requirement and international students must fulfil this criterion to secure admission, especially in Business & Management courses. However, most of the universities do not mandate it.

English language requirements by universities in Russia:

In order to get into a university in Russia, all international students must provide proof of proficiency in the English language, as an admission requirement. Majority of the Russian universities accept IELTS/TOEFL score(s) for their English language requirements. In Russia, nearly all the universities accept IELTS scores. Hence, students must take this test (if possible).

English Proficiency Exams Accepted	Count of Universities
IELTS	56
TOEFL	16

Cost of Studying in Russia

Studies in Russia can be considered affordable, as all Russian universities have an annual tuition fee under INR 10 L, which makes them ideal study-abroad options.

First-Year Tuition Fee Range	Count of Universities
Up to INR 10 L	63

Cost of Living in Russia

Russia is a popular choice among students even though its cost of living is quite heavy on the pocket. On average, the monthly cost of living is around INR 30 K - 40 K per month. However, the expenses are very subjective, depending on the lifestyle and purchasing power of the student residing and studying at a university in Russia.

Scholarships Offered by Universities in Russia

Several universities in Russia offer scholarships to international students and some are publicly funded, to help students cut down the expenses of studying abroad. Some scholarships to study in Russia for Indian students are listed below:

Scholarship	Award
K.C. Mahindra Scholarships for Post-Graduate Studies Abroad	INR 8,00,000
Haini Zeini Scholarships	INR 82,500
Narotam Sekhsaria’s Scholarships	NA

Did you know, you can now study for next to no cost in Europe?

Check out the video below to know more:

Jobs in Russia

Studying in Russia is very fruitful for students worldwide as the return on investment is huge. Some of the most popular and highest-paying job sectors for international students in Russia are Finance, IT, Engineering, Oil and Gas, Telecommunications, etc.

Listed below are the details of the average salary offered after education from the top-ranked Russian universities (Source: Glassdoor):

University	Average Salary (Per Month)
Moscow State University	INR 4.3 K-INR 71 K
Skolkovo Institute of Science & Technology	INR 43 K - INR 53 K
Kazan Federal University	INR 19.3 K-INR 32.3 K

Akash Gaur10-01-2025 18:37