Applying to Russian universities and state scholarships

This page is for Turkish students and their families who want to study at a university in Russia. Foreigners can study in Russia in three ways: with a scholarship through the state quota, on a fee-paying basis, or in tuition-free places based on an international agreement. Below you will find the steps for applying for the quota, applying directly through Gosuslugi and ruID, the documents, apostille and diploma recognition procedures, and the institutions to contact in Türkiye. For the student visa and procedures after arriving in Russia, see R5.2; for recognition of the diploma in Türkiye, see R5.3.

• State quota (квота Правительства): Since 2023, the Russian Government has enabled up to 30,000 foreign nationals and compatriots to study each year with funding from the federal budget (Government Resolution No. 2150, December 18, 2020).
  • Students studying under the quota do not pay tuition fees.
  • They receive a state academic scholarship regardless of their grades.
  • They have the right to a dormitory under the same conditions as Russian budget-funded students.
  • They also study for free and receive a scholarship at the preparatory faculty for Russian.
• Fee-paying education: You sign a contract with the university. Each university sets its own fees.
• Budget-funded (tuition-free) places: Foreigners may apply for the same budget-funded places as Russian students outside the quota only if they have the status of a compatriot living abroad or if an international agreement grants equal education rights.
• In Russia, 741 universities in 82 regions accept foreign students (education-in-russia.com).

1. Register: Create an account on Russia's foreign student selection portal, education-in-russia.com.
2. Choose a program and university: Select the level of education (bachelor's, specialist, master's, doctoral), the mode of study, and up to 6 universities in order of priority. Limits:
   • up to 2 universities in Moscow
   • up to 2 universities in St. Petersburg
   • up to 3 universities from the same federal district
3. Complete the application form and upload the documents: a copy of your passport, a copy of your diploma or certificate of education, the form, and a photograph. Documents must be translated into Russian and certified by a notary or consulate.
4. Take part in the selection stage in Türkiye: You take part in interviews and selection examinations at the Russian House in Ankara or at the Embassy of Russia, operated by the Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Россотрудничество). Information about examinations and interviews is sent to your personal account. Your score determines your ranking among candidates in Türkiye.
5. Second stage: Universities evaluate your application. Some universities hold additional examinations remotely or in person.
6. Result: The university that has accepted you appears in your personal account. For those accepted under the quota, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia sends the student visa instructions.
7. Invitation and visa: The invitation is issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia at the university's request; you then apply for a student visa (see R5.2).
8. Calendar: Quota applications for the 2026/27 academic year opened on September 15, 2025, and remained open until January 15 for countries outside the CIS. Follow the dates for the new period on education-in-russia.com and the Rossotrudnichestvo page.

• If you are outside Russia: Register in the ruID application and apply through the app: Services (Услуги) → Education (Образование) → University admission (Поступление в вуз). You can also apply through Gosuslugi's “Online university application” (Поступление в вуз онлайн) service using the same username and password.
• If you are in Russia: Verify your Gosuslugi account at a bank or service center, then apply through the same service.
• Start: Applications through this service open every year on June 20. For budget-funded places in bachelor's and specialist programs, document submission ends on July 10–20 for applicants with entrance examinations and on July 25 for applications without examinations. Universities set the dates for fee-paying places.
• Examination: If you have not taken the Russian central examination (ЕГЭ) in the last 5 years, you may take the university's own entrance examinations.
• Information that may be requested in the form: details of a valid student visa, if any, and information for a new visa, migration card, Russian-language examination certificate, certificate from a preparatory faculty or Russian-language course, and, if applicable, the name of the intermediary organization you worked with.
• Fee-paying education: If your Gosuslugi account is verified, you sign the contract online; otherwise, you sign it by visiting the university.
• Universities publish their admission rules on their own websites every year on October 1.

• Documents to submit to the admissions committee when you arrive in Russia:
  • admission application
  • passport and its Russian translation certified by a notary
  • diploma with transcript and its Russian translation certified by a notary
  • medical certificate confirming that you do not have an HIV infection or a disease that prevents you from studying (in Russian or with a notarized translation)
  • photograph
• Apostille: Türkiye is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (in force for Türkiye since September 29, 1985, and for Russia since May 31, 1992). Türkiye is not included in the list of “countries that have an agreement with Russia abolishing document certification” on education-in-russia.com (2020 data); therefore, your Turkish diplomas require an apostille.
  • Authority responsible for apostilles in Türkiye: for administrative documents such as diplomas, the governor's office or district governor's office; for judicial documents, the presidency of the judicial commission in places with a high criminal court. Apostilles are free of charge.
• Diploma recognition in Russia (признание): Recognition is required for diplomas from countries that do not have a mutual recognition agreement with Russia. Some universities carry out recognition themselves. Ask the admissions committee of the university to which you are applying whether recognition is required for your Turkish secondary-school or university diploma.
• Recognition in Türkiye: Check whether the university you will attend is recognized by YÖK before starting your education (see R5.3).

• Before starting Russian-language programs, you can prepare for Russian and subject courses at the preparatory faculty (подготовительный факультет) of federal state universities.
• Students arriving under the quota study for free and receive a scholarship at the preparatory faculty.
• The period of stay in Russia for a preparatory-faculty student is extended until the preparatory course is completed. When transferring to a bachelor's program at another university after the preparatory course, the new university applies for an extension of your stay.
• For Russian-language courses and summer and winter schools, see the “Русский язык” section on education-in-russia.com.

• Russian House Ankara (Rossotrudnichestvo) — quota selection examinations and interviews
  • Address: Hilal Mahallesi, Rabindranath Tagore Caddesi No: 68, Çankaya, Ankara
  • Rossotrudnichestvo quota application helpline: +7 985 870 21 27
• Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education application call center: +7 800 444 51 15 (toll-free line within Russia)
• Consular Section of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ankara — student visas
  • Address: Andrey Karlov Sokağı No: 5, Çankaya, Ankara
  • Telephone: +90 312 439 21 83 (09:00–12:00) · Appointment: ankara.kdmid.ru
• Official Russian visa center — application points in Istanbul, Antalya, Trabzon, and Ankara; russia-visacentre.com, +90 212 249 68 48
• University admissions committee and international student office: Contact the university directly for the definitive document list, fees, and dormitory information.

• Waiting until June without knowing that quota applications are submitted between September and January.
• Trying to choose more than two universities in the same city. The limit is 2 for Moscow and St. Petersburg.
• Bringing a diploma without an apostille or a translation without notarial certification.
• Checking whether the university is recognized by YÖK only after enrollment.
• Coming to study with an e-visa. An e-visa cannot be used for education (see R1.2).
• Waiting for the invitation from the “quota website.” The invitation comes through the university.
• Paying intermediaries who guarantee a quota in exchange for a fee.

• Can Turkish students benefit from the state quota? The quota is open to foreigners; selection is carried out in each country through the Russian House or the Embassy of Russia. There is a Russian House in Ankara, Türkiye.
• What does the quota cover? Tuition fees, a state academic scholarship regardless of grades, and a dormitory under the same conditions as Russian budget-funded students. The preparatory faculty is also free.
• Can I apply without knowing Russian? Yes. For Russian-language programs, you can first study at the preparatory faculty.
• How many universities can I apply to? Up to 6 universities in a quota application, in order of priority.
• Can I change universities after being accepted under the quota? Changing a quota student's university or program is under the authority of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education; you cannot transfer on your own.
• How do I apply if I study on a fee-paying basis? Through ruID or Gosuslugi starting June 20, or directly to the university. You sign the contract with the university.

• education-in-russia.com – foreign student selection portal (quota application)
• education-in-russia.com – application process step by step
• education-in-russia.com – frequently asked questions
• Gosuslugi – Online university application
• Gosuslugi – admission of foreigners to universities
• Rossotrudnichestvo – education in Russia and helpline
• Education Law, Article 78: education rights of foreigners
• HCCH – apostille authorities in Türkiye