Lomonosov Moscow State University
Moscow, Russia — www.msu.ru
- QS Ranking
- #95
- Founded
- 1755
- Type
- Public Research University (Federal University)
- Students
- 35,000+
- Acceptance Rate
- ~15% (highly selective for STEM, more open for humanities)
- Founded
- 1755 — Russia's oldest university, founded by polymath Lomonosov
- QS Rank
- #95 (2025) — Russia's only top-100 university
- Main Building
- 240-metre Stalinist Gothic skyscraper — Moscow's most iconic academic landmark
- Nobel Prizes
- 29 Nobel laureates — Russia's highest academic distinction count
Overview
Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU, from Russian Moskovskiy Gosudarstvennyy Universitet), founded in 1755 by Empress Elizabeth at the initiative of Mikhail Lomonosov (Russia's first great polymath scientist — chemist, physicist, poet, astronomer, linguist), is Russia's oldest and most prestigious university and ranked #95 in QS 2025 — the only Russian university in the global top 100. MGU's Sparrow Hills (Vorobyovy Gory) campus — one of Moscow's most spectacular landmarks, with the 240-metre Stalinist Gothic Main Building (completed 1953, the largest university building in the world at the time) overlooking all of Moscow from the city's highest natural point — is an architectural and educational monument. Home to 29 Nobel laureates (the highest of any Russian university), MGU has been the training ground for Russia's scientific, political, and cultural elite for 270 years. International students (primarily from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and CIS countries) have historically enrolled in large numbers. **Note**: Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western government travel advisories generally discourage study in Russia; students from OECD countries should review current advisories before applying.
Admission Process
Russian citizens: EGE (Единый Государственный Экзамен — Unified State Exam). International students: apply via international.msu.ru. Strong Russian language (B2–C1) required for most programs. Some English-medium postgraduate programs available. Chinese-medium tracks for Chinese students. Russian Government Scholarships for developing-country students. Deadlines: February–July.
Programs at Lomonosov Moscow State University
- MSc Computer Science (Master's) — 120,000 RUB/year
- Master of Business Administration (Master's) — 200,000 RUB/year
- MSc Data Science & AI (Master's) — 300,000 RUB/year
- Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Engineering) (Bachelor's) — 400,000 RUB/year
- Master of Science in Engineering (Master's) — 120,000 RUB/year
- PhD in Natural Sciences (PhD) — 200,000 RUB/year
- BSc Computer Science (Bachelor's) — 100,000 RUB/year
- BSc Business Administration (Bachelor's) — 150,000 RUB/year
- BSc Economics (Bachelor's) — 200,000 RUB/year
- BA International Relations (Bachelor's) — 300,000 RUB/year
- BSc Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's) — 400,000 RUB/year
- BSc Civil Engineering (Bachelor's) — 100,000 RUB/year
- BSc Electrical Engineering (Bachelor's) — 150,000 RUB/year
- MBA Technology & Digital Transformation (MBA) — 17,106 USD/year
- MSc Architecture & Urban Design (Master's) — 11,574 USD/year