Lomonosov Moscow State University

About Lomonosov Moscow State University

Lomonosov Moscow State University, also called Moscow State University or MSU (in Russian, MGU), is a university in Moscow. Its official name is Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov. The university states that it was founded in 1755. The main building is on Leninskie Gory in Moscow (postal code 119991).

Institutes and research

The university website lists 44 units under "Faculties / schools", including schools for younger pupils. The faculties cover mathematics and mechanics, computational mathematics and cybernetics, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, geography, soil science, fundamental medicine, space research and artificial intelligence. They also cover philology, history, philosophy, law, economics, sociology, psychology, journalism, political science and foreign languages. There is an Institute of Asian and African Studies and a Moscow School of Economics.

Research institutes include the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology and the Institute of Mechanics. MSU has branches in Sevastopol, Tashkent, Baku, Dushanbe, Yerevan, Kazakhstan, Grozny, Dubna and Sarov, and a joint university, MSU-PPI, in Shenzhen.

For international applicants

The admission rules accept citizens of Russia, foreign citizens and stateless persons. Foreign citizens can apply for bachelor's, specialist and master's programmes. State-funded places for foreigners are given within the quota of the Russian Government, by referral. Other applicants enrol on paid places under a contract. Entrance tests for foreign citizens are held in person or remotely, as decided by the Central Admission Committee. The Sarov branch does not admit foreign citizens.

The admission plans for foreign citizens list programmes taught in English. Examples are a bachelor's programme in Chemistry run jointly with Lanzhou University, and master's programmes such as "International Business Management", "Geometry and Quantum Fields" and "International Economics and Finance".

The Institute of Russian Language and Culture teaches Russian as a foreign language and prepares foreign students for MSU faculties. A preparatory faculty for foreign citizens was created at MSU in 1959. The pre-university programme lasts one academic year (two semesters) or one and a half years (three semesters). It combines Russian with subject courses in the humanities, economics, natural sciences, engineering or medicine and biology.

Housing

According to the admission rules, foreign citizens who enrol may be given dormitory places by decision of the Central Admission Committee. Full-time students on paid places who live permanently outside Moscow and the Moscow region may also receive a place for a fee, if free housing is available. Students on the part-time (evening) form do not receive dormitory places.