+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------+
| ### **Mosco                            | > ![](media/image1.png){w   |
| w EducationUSA Advising Center (EAC)** | idth="1.6930555555555555in" |
|                                        | > hei                       |
| > 109189 Moscow, ul. Nikolo-Yamskaya,  | ght="0.9180555555555555in"} |
| > d.1,                                 |                             |
| >                                      |                             |
| > Phone: 7- (495) 777-65-33            |                             |
| >                                      |                             |
| > Fax: 7- (495) 777-65-34              |                             |
| >                                      |                             |
| > E-mail: <eic@useic.ru>;              |                             |
| > [http                                |                             |
| ://www.useic.ru](http://www.useic.ru/) |                             |
+========================================+=============================+
+----------------------------------------+-----------------------------+

##### 

##### **An Overview of the Moscow EAC**

> The Moscow EducationUSA Advising Center (EAC) was established in 1991
> and is the largest and most-attended center in the Eurasia, with more
> than 40,000 inquiries per year. EducationUSA in Moscow frequently
> receives representatives of US colleges and universities, and is
> recognized throughout Moscow as the most reliable source of
> information on educational opportunities in the United States.
>
> **Regular events at the Moscow EAC include**:

-   Individual consultations with students and parents

-   Annual Education Fairs, some at multiple

-   Special lectures/seminar series on different US education topics
    (filling out application forms, essays, testing, student visas);

-   Lectures offered by accredited US colleges and universities

-   Outreach activities in local universities and high schools, often in
    tandem with US Embassy staff

-   Pre-departure orientations for students accepted to US universities

# **Facts about Russia**

> **Population.** Russia is a multiethnic federation of about 142
> million people (ethnic Russians make up about 80% of the population).
> Russia has 13 cities with over 1 million residents: Moscow, St.
> Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg,
> Rostov-na-Donu, Volgograd, Kazan, Samara, Perm, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and
> Omsk. EducationUSA has representation in most large Russian cities,
> and frequently conduct outreach to outlying areas. For the full list
> of centers in Russia, please visit:
> [educationusa.state.gov/centers](http://www.educationusa.state.gov/centers).
>
> **Education Trends in Russia**
>
> **Russian Student Mobility.** According to *Open Doors*, approximately
> 4,750 Russians studied in the US in academic year 2006-2007.
> EducationUSA offices received approximately 100,000 telephone,
> electronic, and walk-in inquiries in 2007.
>
> **Historic memorandum between the US and Russia:** The US Department
> of Education and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian
> Federation have begun implementing a US-Russia University Partner
> program. For more detail, please visit:
> [www.ed.gov/programs/fipserussia](http://www.ed.gov/programs/fipserussia)
>
> **Standardized Examinations:** By 2009, a standardized school-leaving
> and university-entering examination -- the Unified State Examination
> -- will be implemented nationwide. Currently offered all across
> Russia, the exam remains controversial at the most prestigious Russian
> universities, which continue to offer their own entrance exams.
>
> **Fields of Study:** Prospective students from Russia inquire most
> often about hard sciences, mathematics, applied sciences and
> engineering, business and economics, and social sciences.
>
> **Student-Athletes:** The most common sports for Russian
> student-athletes are tennis, basketball, football (soccer),
> volleyball, and swimming/diving.
>
> **Additional Resources:** For additional information on the
> EducationUSA advising network in Russia, as well as across Europe and
> Eurasia, please see the new EducationUSA publication: *From Reykjavik
> to Vladivostok: Student Advising Trends*, available at
> <http://exchanges.state.gov/education/educationusa/trend-reports.htm>

-   Ministry of Education and Science:
    [eng.mon.gov.ru](http://eng.mon.gov.ru/)

-   National Accreditation Agency:
    [www.nica.ru/main.en.phtml](http://www.nica.ru/main.en.phtml)

-   National Information Center (ENIC):
    [www.russianenic.ru/english](http://www.russianenic.ru/english)

-   US Department of Education:
    [www.ed.gov/programs/fipserussia](http://www.ed.gov/programs/fipserussia)

**The Russian System of Higher Education**

+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| ![](media/image2.png)            | **Statistics.** According to      |
|                                  | register of accredited            |
|                                  | institutions maintained by the    |
|                                  | Ministry of Education and         |
|                                  | Science, the number of accredited |
|                                  | institutions in Russia is 1,159.  |
|                                  | (If satellite campuses of large   |
|                                  | universities are included, then   |
|                                  | the number jumps to 2,611 -- of   |
|                                  | which 1,612 are public and 999    |
|                                  | are private.) Approximately 6.8   |
|                                  | million students are enrolled in  |
|                                  | higher education in Russia.       |
|                                  |                                   |
|                                  | **Universities, Academies, and    |
|                                  | Institutes.** Higher education in |
|                                  | the Russian Federation is         |
|                                  | provided at universities,         |
|                                  | academies, and institutes.        |
|                                  | Broadly speaking universities can |
|                                  | be divided into "classical,"      |
|                                  | "pedagogical," and "technical"    |
|                                  | classifications with special      |
|                                  | attention being paid respectively |
|                                  | to social sciences/humanities;    |
|                                  | pedagogy; and natural,            |
|                                  | fundamental and applied           |
|                                  | (engineering) sciences. Academies |
|                                  | differ from universities in that  |
|                                  | they tend to offer a limited      |
|                                  | number of majors. Institutes      |
|                                  | offer undergraduate and graduate  |
|                                  | programs in one or more           |
|                                  | disciplines. Postgraduate         |
|                                  | research is generally confined to |
|                                  | universities and academies.       |
|                                  | Institutes may be autonomous      |
|                                  | bodies or part of a university or |
|                                  | academy.                          |
|                                  |                                   |
|                                  | **Degrees.** Since the passing of |
|                                  | the decree "On the Introduction   |
|                                  | of a Multi-level Structure in the |
|                                  | Russian Federation" in 1992,      |
|                                  | Russia has been operating a       |
|                                  | parallel system of education at   |
|                                  | the tertiary level. More          |
|                                  | recently, Russia's decision to    |
|                                  | join the Bologna Process in 2003  |
|                                  | has led to a new round of reforms |
|                                  | in higher education. The old      |
|                                  | Soviet system, based on a         |
|                                  | five-year program leading to the  |
|                                  | *Spetsialist* diploma, now exists |
|                                  | alongside the new two-tiered      |
|                                  | structure, which consists of a    |
|                                  | four-year (three in rare cases)   |
|                                  | first degree (*Bakalavr*),        |
|                                  | followed by a two-year program    |
|                                  | leading to the *Magistr* or a     |
|                                  | one- to two-year program leading  |
|                                  | to the *Spetsialist*. Russia is   |
|                                  | moving toward phasing out the     |
|                                  | *Spetsialist* in most             |
|                                  | disciplines, as well as toward    |
|                                  | the European Credit Transfer      |
|                                  | System.                           |
|                                  |                                   |
|                                  | **Licensing and Accreditation.**  |
|                                  | A branch of the Ministry of       |
|                                  | Education and Science is          |
|                                  | responsible for quality assurance |
|                                  | in higher education (the National |
|                                  | Accreditation Agency). Higher     |
|                                  | Education Institutions wishing to |
|                                  | gain full state approval must     |
|                                  | undergo a three-stage process of  |
|                                  | licensing, attestation and        |
|                                  | accreditation based on a          |
|                                  | self-study assessment and an      |
|                                  | external review process.          |
|                                  | Accreditation is usually valid    |
|                                  | for a five-year term. A list of   |
|                                  | accredited post-secondary         |
|                                  | institutions is available in      |
|                                  | English at:                       |
|                                  | http://www.nica.ru/main.en.phtml. |
+----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

**Russian Transcripts:** Diploma; Attachment to Diploma; Excerpt from
Grade Book (*Vypiska* *iz Zachetnoi Knizhki*)

Upon completion of an institution of higher education, students receive
a Diploma and an attachment to the Diploma. The attachment lists the
courses taken, the total number of academic hours spent on each course,
and the grades received. Attachments do not have information on which
course was taken in which semester, so they do not reflect the
students\' progress during their studies. Not all attachments have
information on academic hours. Since many attachments do not contain the
complete information that US universities need, applicants have to
prepare a substitute. They ask their respective institutions to provide
them with an "excerpt from the grade book". This document has a listing
of all courses taken EACH semester, including the number of hours spent
and grades received.

**Grading system.** Russia uses a five-point scale. Only whole number
grades are assigned. Both \"1\" and \"2\" are equal to failing and
infrequently appear on the students\' transcripts.

+-------------------------------------+--------------------------------+
| Excellent = 5                       | Rough Correspondence of        |
|                                     | Russian &US Grades             |
| Good = 4                            |                                |
|                                     | 5 is equal to A                |
| Satisfactory = 3                    |                                |
|                                     | 4 is equal to B                |
| Unsatisfactory = 2                  |                                |
|                                     | 3 is equal to C                |
| Failing = 1                         |                                |
|                                     | 2 and 1 are equal to F. There  |
|                                     | is no D.                       |
+-------------------------------------+--------------------------------+