Russia

Written by: Denise Hartgers

On this web page students can find information on
everything a student has to do to study at a university
in Russia. You can find information on the Russian
higher education system, what a student has to do to
before going to Russia, costs of the cheapest flight
tickets, housing, public transport, media and food
prices.

HIGHER EDUCATION
Currently there are about 700 state institutions where higher education is given. Furthermore
there are hundreds of private institutions where studies like law, management and finance are
being taught.

Russia uses the bachelor-master system. Some people are fiercely against this system and
others encourage it. Some teachers think that the system is a pressure on the limited resources
they have. There is also an advantage; Russian universities who have the bachelor-master
system also work with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). This system makes it
easier for students to bring their credits to a study abroad. A bachelor degree course is four
years and a masters degree course is two years.

There are some universities and institutions where
English studies are given but unfortunately there is
no survey of these English studies. The National
Research University Higher School of Economics
(HSE) in Moscow provides the opportunity for
foreigners to study in English. The majority of the
courses that are given in English are master courses
but there are also bachelor degree courses.


When studying a Russian study it is, logically, required the student knows the Russian
language. Every foreign student has the possibility to follow a Russian language course during
a preparatory year. When a student has finished this year he or she must take an exam to test
their knowledge on the Russian language. The student must pass this test to enter the study.
1

Moreover, when a student wants to enter a Russian university he or she has to compete with
other students. This is because the admission is very competitive. To get in, the student has to
do a number of entrance examinations, certificates of previous schools and interviews.
2



1
Consulted through: http://www.wilweg.nl/landen/meer-landen/rusland/studie-in-rusland/hoger-onderwijs-
in-rusland
2
Consulted through: http://en.russia.edu.ru/edu/description/1020/#sthash.OtR3BgQQ.dpuf
A preparatory training to learn Russian varies from 1,099.37 Euros to 1,465.82 Euros per year. A
bachelor degree program in Russian is 1,099.37 Euros to 1,832.28 Euros per year. A master
degree program in Russian varies from 1,392.53 Euros to 2,052.15 Euros per year. The bachelor
and the master degree programs in English are both 2,565.19 Euros.
3


To get a scholarship in Russia the student must hand in some documents at the Nuffic, a
Dutch organization for internationalization in higher education. The student has to hand in a
passport photo, a copy of his or her passport, a request form, copies of diplomas and study
results, a medical certificate that proves the students good state of health and the results of an
AIDS test. The student may not be older than 35 years old to get a scholarship and the
university where he or she wants to study must be subordinated to the Russian Ministry of
Education. Once the student gets the scholarship, he or she gets 1500 Russian Ruble per month,
which is 31.8650 Euros.
4


PREPARING
When going to study in another country you must take some things in account. Think of
housing, finance, work, visa and health insurance. If you are going to study in Russia you have
to be well prepared.

First of all, the student from the Netherlands has to request a visa at the Russian consulate in
The Hague. When requesting this visa the student needs to bring two passport photos, a
completed visa application, a passport that is still valid for at least six months after returning
from Russia, an invitation from the Russian university, proof a health insurance that is valid in
Russia and a HIV statement. All these documents must be personally delivered at the Russian
consulate in The Hague, it may not be sent by post.

The Russian consulate in The Hague needs an invitation from the university where you want to
study. The university in Russia must arrange this at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The university usually takes about three months to arrange this for the student. Furthermore, a
HIV statement can be requested at the students doctor. The invitation letter from the
university indicates how long the visa is valid in Russia. Usually, usually the visa is valid for 90
days or 180 days. In the seven days after the arrival of the student, he or she must register the
visa at the federal migration service.

If a foreign student stays for more than three months in Russia, he or she he or she is obliged
to request a residence permit.

HOUSING
A lot of universities in Russia have campuses where the students can sleep. Usually the student
shares a room with one or two other students. The student can hire the room for a price
between 50 Euros and 150 Euros per month. There is also the possibility to move in a house of

3
Consulted through: http://www.edurussian.com/fees.html
4
Consulted through: http://www.wilweg.nl/financiering/beurzen/cultureel-verdragbeurzen/russische-
federatie/studie-en-onderzoeksbeurs-in-de-russische-federatie
a Russian family, there the student can really upgrade his or her Russian language skills. The
costs are between the prices of 300 Euros and 500 Euros per month.
5

Rent Per Month in Moscow Avg.

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,172.70

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 692.58

Rent Per Month in Amsterdam Avg.

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,100.00

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 719.86


As you can see the rent of an apartment per month in Moscow and Amsterdam does not differ
a lot from each other.
6


FLIGHTS
When everything is prepared the student is ready to go to Russia. The cheapest ticket to Russia
from the Netherlands is 121.01 Euros when the student would fly with an airplane from
Estonian Air and would leave on the first of August 2014. The student first flies from Schiphol
in Amsterdam to Tallinn in Estonia in economy class. Flying to this first stop is two hours and
15 minutes. At the airport in Tallinn the student has to wait for 12 hours and 5 minutes for the
next airplane to Moscow. After the student has waited for this period, he or she is flies to the
final destination: Moscow. Flying to Moscow from Tallinn is one hour and 35 minutes and the
student flies again in economy class. To conclude, the total journey from the Netherlands to
Russia costs 15 hours and 55 minutes.
7


MEDIA IN RUSSIA
The Russian news is spread through newspaper, radio, television and internet. VGTRK
(Vserossiijskaija gosudarstvennaija televizionnaija i radioveshchatelnaija kompaniija) is a
television and radio broadcasting station that provides news for Russia. This news is spread
through the Russian language and as a new student it is difficult to follow this news. Therefore
there are also websites where the student can read the Russian news in English. An example of
such a website is: http://rt.com/.
8







5
Consulted through: http://www.wilweg.nl/landen/meer-landen/rusland/studie-in-rusland/financiering
6
Consulted through: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-
living/city_result.jsp?country=Russia&city=Moscow&displayCurrency=EUR
7
Consulted through:
https://boeking.cheaptickets.nl/nl/checkout/flightbooking?fbu=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.cheaptickets.nl%2Fflightb
ooking%2Fcid-0f97caa5-f9e2-42e9-a655-5aaee0231275%3Fcachekey%3D667fd1bf-d748-4880-b72b-
550becb56b55%26flightid%3D1%26outid%3D1#biu=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.cheaptickets.nl%2Fflightbooking%2F
cid-0f97caa5-f9e2-42e9-a655-5aaee0231275%2Ff8a394e5-db1b-45e5-a50f-61704cc5c758
8
Consulted through: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebruiker:Timk70/Media_in_Rusland
PRICES OF FOOD
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Russia, Moscow






















First of all, Russia pays with the Russian Ruble. To compare the Russian prices to the Dutch
prices, I have put all the Russian prices in Euros. As you can see in the table on the previous
page, the price range varies a bit. Some products are far less expensive than Dutch products
like a loaf of fresh white bread and a pack of cigarettes. Only milk, a tomato, lettuce, water, a
bottle of wine, domestic beer and imported beer are a bit more expensive in Russia.
9


TRANSPORT
Moscow is a very populated city with 11,900,000 million inhabitants. There are always a lot of
traffic jams so I would not advice a student to use the public transport above the ground, buses,
trolleys and trams. A ticket costs 0.70 Euros. The transport under the ground, the Moscow
Metro, is efficient. The Moscow Metro map is in Russian but it is easy to understand because of
the color use of the lines. Also every metro entrance is marked with a capital red M.

Furthermore, the metro is very crowded at peak hours. It costs 0.70 Euros to buy one metro
ticket. There is no time limit on this ticket. To save money it is handy to buy a couple tickets at
the same time. A traveler gets a fine of 36.60 Euros when he or she does not pay for a ticket.
The metro is available from 5.20 A.M. until 1.00 A.M..
On the Russian streets are drivers who are not even taxi-drivers that easily pick up strangers
for a lift for money. Always negotiate about the price before you step in a car.
10


9
Consulted through: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-
living/city_result.jsp?country=Russia&city=Moscow&displayCurrency=EUR
10
Consulted through: http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/GettingAround.html
Markets Avg.
Milk (regular), (1 liter) 0.99
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) 0.58
Rice (white), (1kg) 1.03
Eggs (12) 1.31
Local Cheese (1kg) 6.48
Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) 4.53
Apples (1kg) 1.43
Oranges (1kg) 1.44
Tomato (1kg) 2.08
Potato (1kg) 0.71
Lettuce (1 head) 1.08
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.79
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 7.45
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 0.96
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) 1.99
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) 1.28
0.92
1.46
1.72
2.06
9.59
6.45
1.95
2.17
2.02
1.46
0.95
0.77
5.00
0.91
1.54
6.00