Apply for Graduate Programmes

Fill in an application form in the section Recognition in your personal account following the instructions.

Information on Recognizing International Qualifications

Translations can be done in Russia (with a notarization to be obtained at the notary’s office), or in the country of your residence (and certified at the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy/Consulate of the Russian Federation).

Legalization of your certificate of education/diploma and transcript.

Depending on the country where your education document was issued, you should complete the legalization procedure. You can find a full list of countries with respective legalization requirements here. Each country has its own criteria for legalization.

You can have both education documents and related copies legalized.

IMPORTANT!  The aforementioned procedure is mandatory for all foreign citizens who apply for admission to study at HSE University; it is provided on a free-of-charge basis. If you hold a Russian certificate of education /diploma from a Russian university, you should also fill in a respective application form in your personal account.

If you have any questions about the procedure for recognizing international qualifications, please contact us by e-mail: recognition@hse.ru.

Visa applications shall be submitted in the section Visa (Виза) in your account.

If you have been recommended for admission to a government-funded place, information about your visa invitation is expected to be available in early August.

If you have been recommended for admission to a fee-paying place, you can choose a country and a city, where you will apply for a visa, in the section Visa (Виза). After your application is approved by the moderator of your online account, it will be ready for processing. A copy of your visa invitation will be posted in the section Visa (Виза) in your personal account within 45 days.

Please note that applicants who arrive to study in Russian universities from the following countries DO NOT NEED to apply for a student visa: the Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Abkhazia, Republic of South Ossetia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Tajikistan, Ukraine, Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Armenia and the Kyrgyz Republic only can enter Russia using their national passports. Citizens of other states must have a designated passport for international travel to enter the Russian Federation.

You can find detailed information in Visa & Immigration Support Office.

Dormitory places will be allocated via the applicant's personal accounts. You will get access to the Dormitory section in your personal account, once you’ve completed the Enrolment Consent and Recognition of Foreign Education and (or) Qualifications sections but no earlier than August 2025. Therefore, by the time you visit us to submit your documents, a place at the dormitory will have already been assigned to you.

Dormitory check-in will be available from August 27, 2025.

The enrolment process will start on August 16, 2025, based on the receipt of all necessary documents from international applicants electronically via their online accounts.

International applicants shall submit online the following documents via their accounts for admission to 100% scholarships, as well as on fee-paying places under agreements for paid educational services funded by individuals and (or) legal entities:

− a copy of their application for studies;

− a copy of their acceptance of the offer of admission;

− a copy of the agreement on placing data processing;

− a copy of the consent to the posting of personal data.

IMPORTANT! Templates of the above-mentioned documents to be filled in and uploaded to your online account will be available in your personal account from July 12, 2025.

After you arrive in Saint-Petersburg, you should contact your programme's office.

Please be ready to present the following documents:

For students admitted to government-funded places:

- your passport and a copy of your passport with a notarized Russian translation (if necessary);

- original certificates of education (diploma + transcript) with respective copies of a notarized Russian translation (if necessary);

- your migration card received upon the crossing of the border of the Russian Federation (in the airport or any other border checkpoint in Russia) or a copy of your entry visa.

IMPORTANT! Please make sure to state the purpose of your visit as Study (Учеба) in your migration card.

- 4 (four) 3x4 photographs (matte or glossy);

- an original health certificate (issued not earlier than 6 (six) months before your arrival in Saint-Petersburg), and an HIV-negative certificate; a certificate of vaccination against measles indicating the date of vaccination and revaccination, and the number of the vaccine (information about the vaccination against measles can be indicated in your general certificate or in the certificate of preventive vaccinations).

Please note that your health certificate remains valid for 6 months, and your HIV-negative certificate – for 3 months.

- voluntary health insurance policy (VHI), if any.

You must have a valid VHI policy during the entire period of study. You can purchase a VHI policy from any insurance company at your discretion in your country of residence before arriving in Saint-Petersburg, or within 5 (five) days after you arrive.

Please see more details about VHI policies available to international students on the website.

For students admitted to fee-paying places:

- your passport and a copy of your passport with a notarized Russian translation (if necessary);

- original certificates of education (diploma + transcript) with respective copies of a notarized Russian translation (if necessary);

- a copy of the education agreement signed by the “Customer” side;

- a confirmation of payment for Semester 1 of the current academic year;

IMPORTANT! Upon arrival for studying, the contract will be signed personally by the “Customer” and the “Contractor”. If the “Customer” under the contract is a legal entity or one of the student's parents, it is necessary to provide 3 (three) copies of the contract with the personal signature of the “Customer”.

- your migration card received upon the crossing of the border of the Russian Federation (in the airport or any other border checkpoint in Russia) or a copy of your entry visa.

IMPORTANT! Please make sure to state the purpose of your visit as Study (Учеба) in your migration card.

- 4 (four) 3x4 photographs (matte or glossy);

- voluntary health insurance policy (VHI), if any.

You must have a valid VHI policy during the entire period of study. You can purchase a VHI policy from any insurance company at your discretion in your country of residence before arriving in Saint-Petersburg, or within 5 (five) days after your arrival.

Please see more details about VHI policies available to international students on the website.

Please note that international students will need to register at their actual place of residence  in Saint Petersburg: 

- if you stay in the dormitory, HSE University’s dormitory staff will assist you with the registration with the local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation assigned to the dormitory’s address; 

- if you rent an apartment, the apartment owner will need to submit an application for your registration in the local office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at HSE University’s request.

You can get information about the rules of registration in a rented apartment at the Programme Office.

IMPORTANT! Please be aware of the timeframes, within which citizens of the following countries may stay in Russia without registration:

·       Citizens of Ukraine, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia - for 30 days;

·       Citizens of Tajikistan – for 15 days.

More details are available on the website of the Immigration & Visa Support office