How to enroll in the Pushkin Russian Language Institute in Moscow
The Pushkin Institute is the country's main university for studying Russian as a foreign language. Many of its graduates become teachers of Russian, as well as translators. Foreigners can also take a preparatory course to gain a basic level or improve their existing level of Russian before pursuing specialized university education.
Step One. Get to know the history & mission of the university
The prototype of the future Pushkin State Russian Language Institute appeared 60 years ago. In 1966, the Scientific and Methodological Center of the Russian Language was opened at the Moscow State University. Its initiator was Academician Vitaly Kostomarov (1930-2020), a legendary linguist who essentially taught the whole world to speak Russian and headed the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature for many years.
Since its creation, the Pushkin Institute has been conducting International Olympiads in the Russian Language, publishing textbooks of Russian as a foreign language and developing new teaching methods. To date, half a million students from 90 countries around the world have graduated from it.
Step Two. Choose a faculty
Foreign students of the Pushkin Institute
At the Pushkin Institute, there are three study options for foreigners, depending on their knowledge of the language and choice of specialization.
- Preparatory Faculty (Pre-UNI)
For an entire academic year, you will focus intensively on the Russian language, after which you will be able to apply to other programs that are being taught entirely in Russian.
At the preparatory faculty, you can study humanities, natural sciences, engineering, medical-biological or economics, depending on your future interests.
To study at the preparatory faculty, you need to send an application to study@pushkin.institute no later than two months before the start of the program (classes begin in September for the first intake and in October for the second).
Read more about the preparatory faculty on the institute’s website.
- Faculty of Russian as a Foreign Language
This faculty trains teachers of Russian as a foreign language, philologists, translators and other specialists in the humanities fields. You can continue your studies there after the preparatory faculty or apply directly if you already have a good command of the Russian language.
This program has quotas from the Russian government for tuition-free education. We explain how to become eligible for the annual quota below.
Read more about the faculty here.
- Faculty of Philology
If you have already learned Russian excellently and plan to obtain a higher philological education and devote your life to the Russian language, you can pursue various levels of higher education at the Pushkin Institute. There, studies are conducted entirely in Russian.
You can obtain a higher philological education or choose a research path in postgraduate studies (three years).
Quotas apply to all types of study. For more details on the curriculum, visit the website.
Step Three. Submit documents for admission and the quota
Russian classes at the Pushkin Institute
To study at the Pushkin Institute, you need to submit an application by email to study@pushkin.institute no later than two months before the start of classes. Most programs start on September 1, but some begin in February or spring. Carefully study the information on the website.
In addition, foreign citizens have the opportunity to study at the Institute for free, under the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation.
To do this, you need to register at education-in-russia.com and submit an application for admission to a university (you can choose several at once) through your personal account. To complete the application, you will need a copy of your passport (or ID), your existing education document, a photograph and a completed questionnaire.
After that, you may be invited to entrance exams and an interview in your country at a Russia House or ‘Rossotrudnichestvo’ (Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation) representative office or a consular office of the Russian Federation.
Some students may need to take additional entrance exams once they are in Russia.
All details on applying under the quota can be found on the institute’s website.
Step Four. Gather the necessary documents, obtain a visa & come to Moscow!
To study in Moscow, you need to obtain a student visa. The Institute or the diplomatic mission will help you with this, depending on whether you are studying on a paid basis or under a quota.
You must also have health insurance for the entire duration of your stay in Russia. And be prepared that you may be asked to undergo a medical examination.
Students studying at the institute must always carry their migration registration certificate with them.
Read more about the list of documents required here.
The institute is located on Volgina Street in Moscow, not far from the ‘Belyaevo’ and ‘Universitet Druzhby Narodov’ subway stations. Students are provided with a dormitory room, which is located right in the university building and is especially convenient, as you can get to classes without going outside.
Bonus
You can start getting acquainted with the Russian language and culture right in your own country, thanks to the ‘Ambassadors of the Russian Language in the World’ program. Read more about it here.
