Higher education in Russia is available to citizens of many countries including Mexico. Read about the enrolment options for Mexican nationals.
Russia and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1890 and have cooperated in the fields of science, culture and education since. Russian and Mexican universities and research centres conduct joint studies and implement projects in space technology, biology, information technology, nuclear power engineering and medicine. For example, the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Mexican Centre of Condensed Matter Sciences are developing new methods to diagnose and treat diseases. Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics in partnership with Russian research centres and National Autonomous University of Mexico designed and launched several satellites into space over the past decade.
Cooperation in culture and education is ongoing. The Russian language is increasingly popular in Mexico. It is taught at many Mexican universities, including National Autonomous University of Mexico, Autonomous University of Queretaro, National Polytechnic Institute etc. Also, Latin American and Russian Association of Higher Education (ALAR) in partnership with People’s Friendship University offers free Russian language and culture courses. ALAR cooperates with other Russian universities such as Samara University and St Petersburg Polytechnic University. The TRKI/TORFL test in Russian as a Foreign Language is available at the Russian language centre. At present, the test can be taken at a number of venues including Metropolitan Autonomous University in Mexico and Mexico-Russia House of Culture in Pueblo. The opening of the Russian Language and Culture Centre in 2019 will provide more language learning opportunities.
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Prospective Mexican students have been increasingly interested in education in Russia; over the past three years, the number of Mexican students at Russian universities increased by 83 percent. In 2014/2015, Russian universities were providing training to 189 Mexicans, in 2015/2016 to 245 and in 2016/2017 to 346. Prospective students often choose aerospace, physical sciences, nanotechnology, economics, management advertising and social science.
Russian universities try to attract applicants from Mexico. Every autumn and spring, Mexico City holds international education fairs at which Russian universities present the advantages of studying in Russia, admission rules for foreign nationals and programmes. The Russian participants include Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Siberian Federal University, National University of Science and Technology MISIS, Samara University and Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Several Russian and Mexican universities have collaboration agreements on student exchange programmes and summer and winter schools. Tyumen State University, University of Guadalajara and University of Quintana Roo have student exchange agreements.
Applying to Russian university: first step
If you decided to study in Russia, choose the appropriate programme and the university using our convenient search tool. Visit studyinrussia.ru to see detailed descriptions of education programmes, tuition fees and supervisors’ contacts. You can choose Russian or English as the language of instruction.
Many Russian universities offer prospective international students English medium programmes in various fields. Candidates have to prove their language proficiency in accordance with specific university requirements. Some universities run interviews in English while others accept international certificates. For example, a candidate for a Higher School of Economics undergraduate programme can show an IELTS, TOEFL, CPE, CAE, BEC certificate issued after 1 September, 2017.
If you plan to enrol in a Russian-taught programme, you have to take an examination in Russian. Some Russian universities, such as South Ural State University, accept the TRKI (test of Russian as a foreign language) certificate at B1 level or higher as an alternative to the examination. If you do not speak Russian, you can learn it at the Preparatory Department together with career-oriented disciplines. As a rule, pre-university training lasts a year, but shorter or longer courses are available as well. Preparatory Department students get a certificate upon course completion and can apply for a major. A number of Russian universities, for example, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University counts Preparatory Department final examinations as entrance examinations, but this information has to be confirmed by university staff.
Mexican nationals can sign a study contract with a Russian university or win Russian government scholarships.
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Paid education in Russia
Affordable tuition fees are among the advantages of studying in Russia. Almost 70 percent of Mexicans at Russian universities were self-funded students in the 2016/2017 academic year.
For example, tuition fees for an undergraduate programme in aircraft and rocket engineering range from 164,520 to 293,000 rubles ($2,530 to $4,500) a year, graduate programme fees range from 175,000 to 330,000 rubles ($2,690 to $5,100) a year and PhD programme fees average 375,000 rubles ($5,779) a year.
Fees for an undergraduate programme in physical sciences range from 112,000 to 292,500 rubles ($1,720 to $4,500) a year; graduate programmes are priced from 147,400 to 400,000 rubles ($2,270 to $6,150) a year, and PhD programmes from 78,000 to 357,000 rubles ($1,200 to $5,500) a year.
Fees for undergraduate programmes in nanotechnology and nanomaterials vary from 197,000 to 230,000 rubles a year ($3,030 to $3,540), graduate programme fees range from 245,400 to 272,000 rubles a year ($3,780 to $4,180) and PhD programme fees from 305,800 to 333,600 rubles a year ($4,700 to $5,130).
Such programmes are offered by best Russian engineering universities including Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Samara University, Lobachevsky University, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, ITMO National Research University, Novosibirsk State University and National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University.
Fees for undergraduate programmes in economics and management: 98,732 to 500,000 rubles a year ($1,520 to $7,690), graduate programme fees: 75,000 to 370,000 rubles a year ($1,150 to $5,690) and PhD programme fees: from 205,800 to 357,500 rubles a year ($3,170 to $5,500).
Fees for bachelor’s degree programmes in advertising vary from 154,200 to 550,000 rubles a year ($2,370 to $8,460) and master’s programme fees from 165,600 to 390,000 rubles a year ($2,550 to $6,000).
Tuition fees for undergraduate programme in social science range from 122,500 to 292,500 rubles a year ($1,889 to $4,500), for graduate programmes 133,972 to 370,000 rubles a year ($2,060 to $5,690) and 79,780, to 357,500 rubles a year ($1,230 to $5,500) for PhD programmes.
Humanities programmes are available at People’s Friendship University, Higher School of Economics, Kazan Federal University, Tomsk State University, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Ural Federal University, Far Eastern Federal University, South Ural State University, Siberian Federal University, University of Tyumen and other higher education centres.
The designated tuition fees are reference prices. Use our search tool to find out the price of a certain education programme,
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Russian government scholarships
Mexican nationals can get Russian government scholarships to study at Russian universities if their school transcript shows good grades or if graduate of PhD scholarship applicants have research achievements.
Scholarship options:
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Take part in an international Olympiad.
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These are annual academic competitions arranged by Russian universities, their associations and the Rossotrudnichestvo Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation. Winners are entitled to various incentives such as extra points or admission without entrance examinations. As a rule universities hold Russian medium Olympiads, so participants have to be proficient in Russian to solve all problems. As for Olympiads in English, the best known are ITMO National Research University international Olympiad in mathematics and physics for prospective undergraduate students who choose engineering majors and Higher School of Economics’ international youth Olympiad. Find more information on academic competitions on our website.
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Win the Russian government scholarship contest
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Government-funded places are few, and are only provided to the best candidates. Thirty-two scholarships were allocated to Mexico in the academic year 2017/2018. Scholarships are distributed by the Rossotrudnichestvo Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation; forward your scholarship enquiries to the Rossotrudnichestvo Office at Calle Gobernador Protasio Tagle 54, San Miguel Chapultepec II Secc, 11850, D.F. More information on how scholarship quotas are distributed you will find here.
If you are not successful at the scholarship contest, you can apply for self-funded study. Sign into our website to write to the university: you will get a reply within ten days.
Meeting document requirements
After you have chosen the university and your profession you have to submit your initial application to the university. A university representative will ask you to mail document scans. As a rule, the university requests copies of passport and school certificate or academic degree certificate (if you apply for graduate, PhD or internship programme). All documents should be translated into Russian and notarised. The education documents also have to be apostilled. Some Russian universities do not have apostille requirements at the initial stage, but verification will be needed later in any case.
Academic degree recognition
A prospective student from Mexico has to complete the degree recognition procedure if they enrol in graduate/PhD studies or internship at a Russian university. They can choose one of the following options:
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Submit your documents to the Main State Expert Centre for Education Estimation (Glavexpertcentre) for the procedure of recognition and equivalence assessment. Sign into the organisation’s website (the English version is available) to submit your application. After your application is accepted you have to email the notarised translations of the education certificate with the transcript and the passport (the originals are not required.) The recognition certificate can be mailed to your address.
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Apply to one of the 46 universities authorised to handle the recognition procedure for foreign education certificates on their own, such as Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Ural Federal University and Novosibirsk State University. See the complete list on our website.
In Russia, recognition is not required for degrees from certain international universities. If you a graduate of any of the universities on the list you do not need the recognition procedure.
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Degree from Russian university in Mexico
A Mexican national, upon graduating from a Russian university, needs to have their degree apostilled; this service is provided by Robobrnadzor branches. Then the graduate has to verify their degree in the home country to start working. The information on the procedure is available on the Secretaría de Educación Pública website.
Entry into Russia
To study in Russia, a Mexican national needs a student visa. Visas are issued by the Russian consulate in Mexico City; see the address on the website of the Russian Embassy in Mexico.
Students have to register with Russian migration authorities within seven days from the date of arrival in Russia. Ask the dormitory administration (if you opt for dormitory accommodation) or your apartment owner to help you register. Here is more information on migration registration for foreign nationals.
