5 Steps to Applying to a Russian University
Get an Invitation and Apply for a Student Visa
Applicants from countries with a visa free system with Russia can enter its territory by presenting their passport (the list of countries which have a visa free system with Russia is available on the Russian Foreign Ministry website).
In all other cases, applicants must present a student visa in addition to a document proving their identity. More info is available in the section “How to apply for a student visa”.
An invitation is required to apply for a student visa.
- Invitations to Russia are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the General Administration for Migration Issues of the Interior Ministry of Russia.
- Applicants who obtained their place at a university in Russia through competitive selection (quotas) get their invitation at the instruction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. At a Rossotrudnichestvo office, they are given the six-digit number of their invitation which they then quote when submitting the visa application.
- If the applicant obtained their place at the university through a standard procedure or is a fee-paying student, the invitation will be sent by the university. You will need an original invitation to submit the visa application.
Register on our website
and send your application directly to an unlimited number of universities at once. It's completely free and will deliver your application directly to the university. You can ask the university representative or Study in Russia administrators any questions about education in Russia. We are there to help you find the information you need.
