Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education Saratov State Agrarian University named after N.I.Vavilov is one of the largest leading educational institutions training specialists for the Saratov region's agro-industrial complex, the Volga region, and other regions of the Russian Federation. University is rated in the top 100 universities in Russia and occupies second place among agricultural universities.
Agrarian University is a teaching and research facility, a cultural and social center of the developing modern infrastructure. The University comprises 12 faculties (3 of them are extramural), two branches (in Balashov, Saratov region, and Astrakhan), a boarding school of natural sciences, postgraduate and doctoral studies, three libraries, and a publishing house. The University includes the institute of additional professional education of agroindustrial complex personnel, educational, scientific and production complex "Agrocenter," training and production division "Agroexspocenter," technical park "Volgoagrotehnika," veterinary hospital, information, and advisory service "SEARCH."
Agrarian Education and Science" association, comprising the leading scientific, educational organizations and enterprises of the agricultural profile is established at the University. Nineteen essential advanced farms are the testing ground for scientific experiments, and they provide training on the basics of agricultural practices for students. The educational process and scientific work are currently conducted by 1317 highly qualified teachers (and part-time teachers), including 227 doctors, professors, and over 765 associate professors. Training at the University is getting more than 22 000 students on full-time and correspondence courses.
Training is being done according to 43 specialties with the qualification of "graduate," 14 areas of training with the qualification of "bachelor," and six areas of training with the qualification of "master." During the period of training, each student can learn some other professions. Progressive module-rating technology of training with a funded system of assessing students is used in the educational process. People who successfully graduated from the University and shown a tendency to research work recommended further study in postgraduate school. Training of highly qualified personnel is conducted through graduate school (in 36 specialties) and doctoral studies. There are six specialized dissertation councils for defending theses for the candidate and doctoral degrees. The University by right occupies a leading place in the ranking of Russia's agricultural universities and continues the glorious traditions of agricultural education in the country. In 2013 the Saratov State Agrarian University celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding.
The University has a multipurpose sports complex with an indoor swimming pool. There are more than 30 different sections in the sports club. The University has three sports camps, located on the picturesque banks of the Volga, and health centers. Student club has singing and dance groups,а theater studio,а folk instruments orchestra,а chorus. The University library is one of the largest agricultural libraries in the region. Research library fund comprises more than 1.8 million copies. Scientific literature fund consists of more than 650 thousand copies, including a unique collection of publications. Since 1995 a search group "Vega" operates at the University: every year, students go on expeditions to places of battles of the Great Patriotic War. Agricultural University is proud of its museums: zoological, anatomopathological, parasitological, biological, and the museum of veterinary sanitary inspection. The museum of the University history and memorial room of N.I. Vavilov occupies a special place in the cultural and scientific space of the higher educational establishment.
