International students
Information for International Students
The Faculty of Biology offers Bachelor, Master, Postgraduate (PhD), Doctorate educational programs, and several programs of additional education. Programs are carried out in Russian and student is required to have good (or even very good) knowledge of the language (not less than B2 or equivalent). In case of insufficient skills in Russian, one might be advised to take a course of Russian language first (Institute of Russian Language and Culture Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка or any other appropriate center).
Four of our programs at Joint MSU-BIT University (SMBU) in Shenzhen (China) are in English: Master programs “Nanobiotechnology” and “Global Change Ecology and Novel Ecosystems”, and PhD programs in “Bioengineering” and “Ecology”. SMBU also offers an English-language Bachelor program in Biology (see https://en.szmsubit.edu.cn/ Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка).
All students of Lomonosov Moscow State University must pay tuition fees, unless the fees are covered by the Federal Budget of Russian Federation. This can be true for international students in the following cases only:
- If one has the status of “Compatriot Abroad” as defined by the Federal Law of May 24, 1999 (№99-ФЗ “On the State Policy of Russian Federation regarding Compatriots Abroad” http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/13875 Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка).
- If one is awarded a scholarship from the Government of the Russian Federation (see https://russia.study Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка for more information).
- If one is a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, or the Republic of Republic of Kazakhstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic, according to “the Treaty between the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation of March 29, 1996 on deepening economic and humanitarian integration”.
In these cases, foreign citizens should apply to the Admission Board as if they were citizens of Russian Federation (https://www.msu.ru/int/intrul/kategorii-inostrannykh-grazhdan-imeyushchikh-pravo-postupleniya.php Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка). However, such applicant might be required to confirm his/her high school degree (see also, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_State_Exam Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка – “ЕГЭ”).
In all other cases, foreign citizens can enroll for education on a contractual basis. No scholarship can be provided for contract students by the University.
Procedure of Enrollment
Foreign citizens enter the Faculty of Biology in accordance with “The rules of Admission to Lomonosov Moscow State University” (http://cpk.msu.ru Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка)
Bachelor programs
| Programs | Entrance examination (in order of priority) |
| Biology | Biology (interview), |
| Ecology and natural resources management | Geography (interview), |
Master programs
| Direction – Biology, educational programs | Entrance examination (in order of priority) |
| Group of educational programs “Biology” | Biology (written exam) |
| Fundamental and applied biology | General Biology (written exam) |
| Bioengineering, biotechnology and bioeconomics | Biology and basic biotechnology (written exam) |
| Structural biology and biotechnology | Structural biology and biotechnology (written exam) |
| Direction – Ecology and natural resources management | Ecology (written exam) |
Required documents
Please see https://www.msu.ru/int/intrul/inostrannym-abiturientam-postuplenie.php Внешняя ссылка for the details of how to apply.
Please prepare al necessary documents in advance.
Please contact the Department of International Cooperation of the Faculty of Biology in advance (int@mail.bio.msu.ru, +7 929 625-27-85) to clarify the details of the admission campaign and details of your future arrival in Moscow. Keep in touch with the foreign Department employee responsible for receiving foreign citizens. Please do not plan your entry to Russia unless approved by the Department.
- Personal application for admission;
- Copies of the first two pages of your passport / ID.
- Notarized translation of the first two pages of your passport / ID into Russian.
- A copy of the certificate of education equivalent to the state-issued certificate of education of the Russian Federation that is required for admission to the corresponding level of higher professional education. It should indicate the qualification (degree) obtained, the subjects studied, and the grades obtained on them:
- For admission to the Bachelor program (BSc): certificate of full secondary education.
- For admission to the Master (MSc): bachelor’s degree or specialist’s degree.
- The education documents shall undergo the legalization procedure according to the list: https://www.msu.ru/int/intrul/legal(2020).pdf Внешняя ссылка Внешняя ссылка
- Notarized translation into Russian of educational documents and the transcript with grades in the subjects studied.
- Six formal photos in digital format 3×4, taken no earlier than this year.
Translation of educational documents into Russian must be certified by a notary in the Russian Federation, or by the Embassy or Consulate of the Russian Federation in the country where the documents have been issued
Timing
Admission of documents to baccalaureate begins on June 15 and ends on July 10.
Admission of documents to the magistracy begins on June 15 and ends on July 20.
Programs
Please see Russian pages for more information on the exams.
Dormitory
Foreign citizens who have Entered the Faculty of Biology can apply for a Dormitory. However, housing IS NOT GUARANTEED, although Moscow University does everything possible to provide housing. Faculty of Biology is not affiliated with the Dormitories.
Visa invitation
In case of successful passing entrance examination and enrollment, you need to issue an invitation of Moscow State University to enter the Russian Federation with student visa. To get it you need to submit the following documents to the Department of International Cooperation of the faculty (int@mail.bio.msu.ru, +7 929 625-27-85, +7 495 939-27-85):
- Filled-in application form (provided on request),
- Quality copy/scan of the first two pages of your passport.
The Faculty will send you an invitation as soon as possible. Please inquire in advance about the visa obtaining procedure at the Russian Embassy in your country. Registration of the invitation takes at least 45 days, so these documents must be submitted to the faculty as soon as possible.
Contract
The contract for education at MSU is issued at the faculty after successful passing of entrance examination and passing through the admission competition.
Tuition fees
| Baccalaureate (BSc) | |
| Program | Tuition fee |
| Biology | 455 990 ₽ |
| Ecology and nature management | 455 990 ₽ |
| Master (MSc) | |
| Group of educational programs “Biology” | 462 480 ₽ |
| Fundamental and applied biology | 462 480 ₽ |
| Bioengineering, biotechnology and bioeconomics | 462 480 ₽ |
| Structural biology and biotechnology | 462 480 ₽ |