Kazan University is one of the oldest universities in Russia. On November 5, 1804, Alexander I signed the Confirmatory Charter of the Kazan Imperial University and its Statute.

Over the years, Kazan University has established various scientific schools that gained worldwide recognition. Non-Euclidean geometry was born here, created by mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky, who played a prominent role in the development of the university, acting as its head for two decades.

The university is a center not only for science and scientific education but also for culture and enlightenment. It is the birthplace of the book industry in the region, the first provincial newspaper; it is responsible to promoting theater life, and much more. Throughout its history, the university served as alma mater for the founder of the Soviet state Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin, writers Sergey Aksakov, Leo Tolstoy, Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky, Viktor Khlebnikov, composer Mily Balakirev, artist Valery Yakobi and others.