Irkutsk State University

1 Karl Marx str., office 305, Irkutsk 664003, Russia

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Overview

Irkutsk State University is a prominent educational and scientific institution in Irkutsk, Eastern Siberia. With over 18,000 students, of which a majority are enrolled in Bachelor’s degrees, it is a rapidly growing research University.

Academic and research activities at ISU are divided into 8 Institutes (International Business School, Continuing Education, Mathematics and Information Technologies, Economics and Linguistics, Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communication, Pedagogy, Law, and Social Sciences) and 11 Faculties (Biology and Soil Stu...

University Highlight

Establishment year	1918
Total Students	18,000+
International Students	764 (in 2018)
QS World University Rankings 2024	1401+
Campus Size	N/A
Total Number of Campuses	1
University Website	https://isu.ru/en/
No. of Schools and Divisions	8 Institutes and 11 Faculties
Nobel Prize Winner Alumni	0
No. of Education Programs	101 (undergraduate), 54 (Master’s)
Student to Faculty ratio	N/A

Course Highlight

Irkutsk State University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through 11 Faculties (which are divided into Departments) and 8 Institutes (which are divided into Schools).

The Faculty of Biology and Soil Studies provides UG and PG taught and research programs through eight Departments: Botany, Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Vertebrate Zoology and Ecology, Microbiology, Plant Physiology, Cell Biology and Genetics, Physiology and Psychophysiology, Physico-Chemical Biology, and Soil Studies and Land Evaluation.
The Faculty of Geography conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through five Departments: Economical and Social Geography, Physical Geography and Geo-ecology, Meteorology and Atmosphere Protection, Water Resource Protection, and Cartography and Geo-informatics.
The Faculty of Geology teaches UG and PG courses, and carries out research via its seven Departments: Teaching and Research Geological Museum, Geochemistry, Minerals, Mineralogy and Petrology, Dynamic Geology, Geology, Oil and Gas, and Geology and Geophysics.
The Faculty of History provides UG and PG taught and research programs through five Departments: Russian History, Contemporary Russian History, World History and International Relations, Archaeology, Ethnology and History of the Ancient World, and Political Science and History.
The Faculty of Psychology conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through four Departments: Social Psychology, Pedagogical and Developmental Psychology, Medical Psychology, and General Psychology.
The Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Citizens conducts bridge courses that help international students learn Russian and acclimatize to University life in Irkutsk.
The Faculty of Physics conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through three Departments: Physics, Radiophysics, and Electronics and Nanoelectronics.
The Faculty of Chemistry provides UG and PG taught and research programs through seven Departments: Analytical Chemistry, General and Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Methods of Analysis, and Physical and Colloid Chemistry
The Siberian-American School of Management.
The Faculty of Business and Management, which is primarily responsible for executive business degrees.
The Faculty of Business Communication and Computer Science conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through ten Departments: Service and Service Technology, Tourism, Advertising, Entrepreneurship and Management in Service and Advertising, Natural Sciences, Foreign Languages, Applied Informatics and Records Management, Psychology and Cultural Studies, Mass Communications and Media, and the Center for Information Technology.

The Institutes of ISU are as follows:

Baikal International Business School.
Institute of Continuing Education
Institute of Mathematics and Information Technologies. The main research areas within this Institute are Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Informatics, and Economics.
Institute of Social Sciences. This contains the Social Faculty and the Department of Complementary Education.
International Institute of Economics and Linguistics. This conducts courses related to six foreign languages: English, Chinese, Korean, German, French, and Japanese.
Institute of Philology, Foreign Languages and Media Communication. There are three study areas within this Institute: Philology, Linguistics, and Journalism.
Pedagogical Institute. This has five Departments: Psychology and Pedagogy of Elementary Education, Psychology and Pedagogy of Infant Education, Social Pedagogy and Psychology, Pedagogy, and Physical, Sporting and Medico-Biological Disciplines.
Law Institute. This has three Faculties: Budgetary Law, Commercial Law, and International Law.

Eligibility Criteria

International applicants to undergraduate courses at Irkutsk State University must satisfy the following entry requirements:

Foreign passport with a validity of at least eighteen months after the planned date of arrival in Russia.
Completed Year 12 equivalent high school degree or diploma at a recognized institution (or studying in the final year of such a degree during the application process).
Strong academic performance in subjects that are prerequisites for the degree applied to, as shown through detailed academic transcripts.
Sound physical and mental health.
Level 1 knowledge of Russian as a Foreign Language. Every foreign candidate for a place at ISU must be able to show Russian proficiency through a language certificate.

International applicants to Master’s courses must submit translated copies of Bachelor’s degree transcripts and certificates from a recognized University. They must also appear for an interdisciplinary test in the subject they have chosen as their specialization for their postgraduate degree at ISU.

Admission

All international applicants to Irkutsk State University must submit their application form to the International Office of the University by June 1, if they want to join during the Fall Semester, or October 1 for the Spring Semester.

The following documents must accompany the application form:

A copy of the international passport or any other national identification.
A notarized translated copy of an original education certificate (high school for UG courses, and Bachelor’s degree for PG courses).
A certified translated copy of all academic transcripts from the most recent degree.
Six photos, each 3 cm by 4 cm in size.
A filled consent form to provide personal data to ISU and authorize the University to process the data for admission purposes.

All foreign nationals must also appear for entrance examinations. International applicants from countries other than the erstwhile Soviet states have to pass Level 1 of the Russian as a Foreign Language examination and submit a certificate proving this. International applicants from ex-CIS countries (e.g. Tajikistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan) must pass the Unified State Examination (USE) in subjects relevant to the program for which they are applying. Applicants who have not appeared for the USE must take online tests created by the University.

Fees

Undergraduate tuition fees for international students at ISU vary according to the program. These are some indicative values:

The lowest fees are 157,800 rubles (~USD 1930) per year, for several courses including Applied Mathematics & Computer Science, Human Resource Management, Social Science, Social Work, and International Relations.
A few courses have annual tuition fees of 160,000 rubles, including Economics and Linguistics.
Most courses have tuition fees of 179,500 rubles (~USD 2,200) per year. For example: Ecology and Environmental Management, Chemistry, Geology, Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Information Security, Biology, and Soil Studies.
The Applied Geology Bachelor’s course has annual tuition fees of 213,600 rubles.

Master’s courses at ISU have annual tuition fees that are 10% - 20% higher than Bachelor’s courses in similar disciplines:

The lowest Master’s tuition fees are 169,300 rubles (~USD 2,070) per year, for courses like Psychology and Teacher's Training, History, Applied Mathematics & Computer Science, Social Work, and Psychology.
A few courses have annual tuition fees of 170,000. For example: Regional Studies and Journalism.
Most postgraduate degrees have tuition fees of 191,400 rubles (~USD 2,340) per year, including Radiophysics, Chemistry, Ecology and Environmental Management, Geology, Biology, and Applied Informatics and Computer Science.
The highest annual tuition fees for Master’s programs are 220,000 rubles (~USD 2,700) for the Legal Studies course.

The main component of living costs at ISU is accommodation. Depending on the dormitory chosen, this can range from 2,500 to 5,000 rubles per month; this adds up to 50,000 rubles (~USD 610) per year, assuming that ten months are spent on campus. Other living costs include food, travel, personal shopping, and academic infrastructure (e.g. laptop) purchases.

Campus facilities

The Student Union at Irkutsk State University operates a large number of student organizations and clubs. These include sports clubs, six dance clubs, the ISU choir for classically trained vocal musicians, the musical band, the literature club, the club of intellectuals, the mountain tourism club, and the club for comedians.

Sports clubs at ISU can broadly be divided into three categories: fitness, sports and games, and martial arts. Under the first category, there are clubs dedicated to CrossFit and elastic training. Within the second category, there are sports like volleyball, basketball, and table tennis. The third category has clubs dedicated to boxing, Pankration, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

ISU supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For example, it has a special quota to admit low income and disabled students. It offers free breakfasts for all full time students. Through a city clinic in Irkutsk, members of the University community can access free healthcare. There is gender equality in admission and employment. Water waste is minimized, and energy consumption per capita constantly decreases from year to year. There is ethical sourcing of food and other raw materials and responsible waste disposal. Members of the University carry out various ecological projects related to reducing waste and plastic dumping in the nearby Lake Baikal. There is a robustly elected Student Body to ensure representation of all sections of the University in the decision making process.

Every Institute and Faculty operates its own dormitories for its students. There are different types of accommodations, from sectional units consisting of 2-4 rooms, to long corridors with many rooms and shared facilities. All students have access to kitchens, laundry facilities, and study areas within their dormitories. These are located close to sports and cultural facilities, from indoor health, sports, and fitness halls to common indoor and outdoor locations meant for recreational activities.

Scholarship

Many students at ISU have their studies partially or completely subsidized through a grant by their Government or home University. For example, the Chinese Government selects deserving students from China studying at ISU for scholarships.

ISU has implemented a unique broad based system of financial aid for students (both domestic and international) from low income families. Over 1,500 social scholarships are awarded every year based on financial need; these entail a partial or complete waiver of tuition fees. In addition, over 7,500 students receive one time financial aid through the material assistance program for short term funding.