Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO-University)

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MGIMO is Russia's most prestigious educational institution for young people with international interests. For international students, MGIMO is that and more: a modern, welcoming, and intellectually stimulating place to study in Russia's most fantastic city. MGIMO's diverse student body of 6,000 is drawn from the top ranks of Russian students and partner universities worldwide. MGIMO offers a broad range of courses at undergraduate and graduate levels — from international law, political science, economics, journalism, business management, and energy policy. International undergraduates can pursue intellectually challenging and exciting coursework alongside their Russian peers. Students seeking a Master's degree can apply for one of MGIMO's groundbreaking double-degree programs, offered in partnership with international institutions, or seek a place in one of more than thirty MA programs taught in Russian.
For all its history, MGIMO is continuing to remake itself. In the last five years, the University has formed numerous new partnerships with leading institutions worldwide. MGIMO is integrating fully into the Bologna accords, spelling out strict standards for European higher learning institutions. The University is also committed to fostering an ever-evolving student body, curriculum, and campus life that reflects its reputation as Russia's most prestigious and most advanced place for understanding international affairs.
MGIMO was founded on 14th of October 1944 by a special decree of the Soviet Government based on the recently established School of International Relations of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The new University, initially headed by Ivan Udaltsov, a famous Soviet economist and former Moscow State University Rector, represented an exceptional high school type from its very outset. Despite its proximity to political elites, MGIMO always maintained the spirit of intellectual freedom encouraging independent thinking in its students.
By the early 1950s, MGIMO comprised three schools, since its ancestor, the School of History and International Relations, was added by the School of International Law and the School of International Economic Relations. In 1955, the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies was integrated into MGIMO. The range of taught languages and country studies was significantly extended to include China, India, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, and states of the Middle East. In 1958, MGIMO incorporated one more University — of Foreign Trade — and became the national leader of education and International Relations expertise. In 1967 the School of Journalism was added to the scope of education and research fields.
The profound social changes in the second half of the 1980s affected MGIMO by making it a fully open institution. In 1989, admission on a commercial basis started, and first students from Western countries began to arrive. In 1991, the MGIMO Alumni Association was founded under Rostislav Sergeyev, the Ambassador and one of the first MGIMO graduates.
1992 saw the School of International Business and Business Administration's creation, reflecting the substantial changes that the Russian economy was undergoing. In 1994, MGIMO started providing training services in the state, and public administration is based on international practices through a newly established International Institute of Administration. The same year the Department of Politics was introduced within the School of International Relations and evolved into the separate School of Political Science in 1998.
The next decade saw the further buildup of reforms and improved educational quality, including newly opened schools and Master programs with several partnering universities abroad. In 2000, two educational divisions were established - Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy and School of Applied Economics and Commerce. In 2005, the Russia–EU Summit passed a resolution for creating the European Studies Institute on an MGIMO basis to provide Master training in European politics, economics, and law. The new division aimed to provide Russian and European officials with comprehensive knowledge and competencies to promote Russia-EU relations.
In 2006, the MGIMO Board of Trustees was established with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as its Chairman. The Trustees are high-ranking Russian officials and prominent public figures, as well as Russian and foreign leaders of business and philanthropic community (such as Ingvar Kamprad, the IKEA founder, and Frederik Paulsen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of "Ferring Pharmaceuticals," Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Lausanne). A year later, the MGIMO Board of Trustees established Russia's first university Endowment designed to secure the University's long-term financial standing.
In 2013 The School of Governance and Global Affairs was launched as the first Russian school to train international students in English at Bachelor's level. In 2016 the Odintsovo Branch of MGIMO-University was established and officially opened by the MGIMO 2014-2020 Strategic Development Plan.
MGIMO is the best Russian university for international students who are interested in studying foreign affairs. Its courses are modern, exciting, and intellectually challenging. The University offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs — from international law, political science, economics, journalism, business management, and energy policy. MGIMO is also committed to fostering an ever-evolving student body, curriculum, and campus life that reflects its reputation as the most advanced place in Russia for understanding foreign affairs.
MGIMO was the first in Russia to join the European Universities Association to fully integrate into the Bologna process, spelling out strict European educational institutions' strict standards. The University has been a Russian home for students worldwide for nearly 60 years, providing more than 6,000 international graduates the education to flourish as leaders in private and public sectors. Besides, MGIMO has close ties with the world's leading educational centers across Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa.
MGIMO provides tuition for Bachelor and Master's degree programs recognized worldwide, with students gaining qualifications that are the keys to employment and academic opportunities internationally. When it comes to providing students with a context for understanding the contemporary world – be it through diplomacy, public administration, business, economics, law, or journalism, not to mention the 53 languages it teaches each term? MGIMO is unique.
MGIMO incorporates the best aspects of a classical university with those of a research center. This approach provides students with close access to more than 1200 faculty members, including 20 full members and renowned Russian Academy of Sciences, a further 113 with a senior doctorate and 400 Ph.D. MGIMO's academia always takes pride in its students.

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