Saint-Petersburg Mining University

2, 21st Line, St Petersburg 199106, Russia

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Overview

Saint Petersburg Mining University is the oldest technical institution of higher education in Russia. Located in the cosmopolitan city of Saint Petersburg, it was established in 1773, and is still one of the most renowned mining schools in the world. Its students are known for their practical and technical expertise.

Academic and research activities at SPMU are divided into 9 Faculties (Energy, Mining, Oil and Gas Engineering, Mineral Processing, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Sciences and Humanities, Economics, and Geolog...

University Highlight

Establishment year	1773
Total Students	7,000+
International Students	N/A
QS World University Rankings 2024	1001-1200
Campus Size	N/A
Total Number of Campuses	1
University Website	https://en.spmi.ru/
No. of Schools and Divisions	9 Faculties (Energy, Mining, Oil and Gas Engineering, Mineral Processing, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Sciences and Humanities, Economics, Geological Exploration)
Nobel Prize Winner Alumni	0
No. of Education Programs	97 courses (total)
Student to Faculty ratio	N/A

Course Highlight

Saint Petersburg Mining University offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses through 9 Faculties, which are further subdivided into 46 Departments.

The Energy Faculty provides UG and PG taught and research programs through four Departments: Electricity and Electromechanics, General Electrical Engineering, Electronic Systems, Heat Engineering and Thermal Power Engineering.
The Mining Faculty conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through four Departments: Occupational Safety, Geoecology, Blasting Work, and Mining.
The Faculty of Oil and Gas Engineering teaches UG and PG courses, and carries out research via its three Departments: Oil and Gas Fields Exploration, Oil and Gas Transport and Storage, and Well Drilling.
The Faculty of Mineral Processing provides UG and PG taught and research programs through six Departments: Chemical Technology and Energy Processing, Automation of Technological Processes and Production, Mineral Processing, Physical Chemistry, General Chemistry, and Metallurgy.
The Civil Engineering Faculty conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through five Departments: Construction of Mining Enterprises and Underground Structures, Mining Surveying, Engineering Geodesy, Architecture, and Mechanics.
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering provides UG and PG taught and research programs through four Departments: Mechanical Engineering, Metrology, Instrumentation and Quality Management, Materials Science and Technology of Art Products, and Transport and Technological Processes and Machines.
The Faculty of Sciences and Humanities conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through eleven Departments: Higher Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Informatics and Computer Technology, Information Systems and Computer Engineering, History, Descriptive Geometry and Graphics, General and Technical Physics, Russian Language and Literature, Sociology and Psychology, Physical Education, and Philosophy.
The Faculty of Economics provides UG and PG taught and research programs through three Departments: System Analysis and Management, Economics, Organization and Management, and Economic Theory.
The Geological Exploration Faculty conducts undergraduate and postgraduate programs through six Departments: Geophysics, Geology and Exploration of Mineral Deposits, Mineralogy, Crystallography and Petrography, Historical and Dynamic Geology, Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology, and Geology of Oil and Gas.

There are also specialist degrees in advanced areas of research, some of which may be interdisciplinary. Some of these include Construction of Unique Buildings and Structures, Design and Technology of Radio Electronic Systems and Complexes, Topography and groundwater exploration and engineering geology, Geophysical methods for prospecting and exploration of mineral deposits, Process safety and rescue work in mines, Oil and gas field development and exploitation, and Automotive engineering in transport technology.

Eligibility Criteria

International undergraduate applicants to SPMU must satisfy the following requirements:

Should be in sound physical health, with healthy lungs.
Should have completed a high school degree, or be in the final year of such a degree.
Should have excellent academic performance; certain courses may require minimum levels of academic achievement in certain subjects.
Should be fluent in Russian (for courses taught in the language).

International applicants to Master’s and PhD courses must satisfy similar requirements. However, Master’s applicants need to submit evidence of the completion of an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline from a recognized international University. PhD program applicants need to submit a Master’s degree certificate and a detailed research proposal.

Admission

International applicants to SPMU must complete the following steps:

Choice of study area and program of interest. Once this is done, the student should send an email to the University with these details.
The following documents must be submitted as part of the application:
- A filled application form; this can be downloaded from the University website.
- A scanned copy of the main two pages of the international passport.
- Original and scanned copies of the relevant degree certificates, depending on the level of the course applied for.
- Academic transcripts showing grades or marks obtained in all courses.
- A detailed medical certificate, with a fluorography certificate attached, certifying that the applicant does not suffer from tuberculosis or any related condition; this is relevant due to the heavy industrial nature of most courses at SPMU.
- Six photographs of the applicant.
- All these documents must be translated into Russian and certified by a Russian notary authority, or by the Russian Embassy in the home country of the applicant.
For applicants who do not yet have a Russian student visa, the latest application date is April 30. For candidates who already have a Russian visa, the deadline is July 10.
Excellent applicants will be issued a letter of invitation by the University. This can be used as the basis for a Russian visa application in the home country of the applicant. As part of this process, candidates need to choose the funding mode for their degree: self-financed, Russian scholarship-based, or based on a scholarship from the Government of the country of origin.
The final step of selection is an entrance examination; this is conducted in St. Petersburg.
Once the offer is made, enrollment can be completed by signing the contract and paying the tuition fees for the first year.

Fees

International students of both undergraduate and Master’s programs at SPMU pay tuition fees of 600,000 rubles (~USD 7,350) per year. PhD students pay annual tuition fees of 1,600,000 rubles (~USD 19,600). Applicants who do not know Russian or are not fluent in the language must attend a preparatory course at the University, which has tuition fees of 800,000 rubles (~USD 9,830).

All students must pay accommodation fees, which amount to approximately 5,500 rubles per month, or 55,000 rubles (~USD 680) per year, assuming that ten months are spent on campus.

International students must purchase a comprehensive life and health insurance policy before starting their course at SPMU; this amounts to 10,600 rubles (~USD 130) per year. Other costs include food, travel, personal expenses, and academic items like laptops.

Campus facilities

The campus of Saint Petersburg Mining University was designed by the renowned architect Andrey Voronikhin. Designed in the neoclassical style, its main building is one of the most recognizable landmarks in St. Petersburg. It is also home to the Mining Museum, which has one of the most extensive collections of mineral samples and precious stones in the world.

The Student Council of SPMU allows students to participate in the key decisions of the University. It allows important issues to be solved and gives the student body a voice. It is also the apex body that manages all the student associations and clubs at SPMU.

There are 30+ student associations at Saint Petersburg Mining University; these are organized into several different disciplines, including patriotic education, social welfare activities, sports, art, and culture. All these activities have ample amenities provided by SPMU, from sports fields and indoor courts, to halls for performances and conference rooms.

One of the most important clubs for international students is the International Friendship Club. It aims to help foreign students become a part of the University culture. It conducts several academic orientation sessions and provides a platform for communication between students from different countries and cultural backgrounds. It also organizes sports and cultural activities to induce appreciation of other cultures, and to bring all nationalities together under the banner of SPMU. The flagship event is the “Meeting of Cultures” summit. This has been held successfully for over a decade, and is a gathering spot for 300+ participants from 12+ countries.

Due to its long history of excellence in mining, geology, and related fields, SPMU offers strong career opportunities to all its students. The biggest companies in Russia and abroad (including energy giants like Gazprom, Rosneft, and Surgutneftegas, and conglomerates like PhosAgro, Orica, and Schneider Electric) recruit from its campus. It also offers robust internship and employment opportunities with other partner companies. The opportunity to acquire membership in the Mining International Friendship Club (Gornyak) helps with professional networking.

Scholarship

The Russian Government Scholarship program is the main mechanism by which international students can access financial aid. Most courses at SPMU have a certain quota of seats for international students which fall under this scholarship, and students who win the award will not have to pay tuition fees. Academic excellence and research experience are the two main criteria based on which students are selected for this scholarship.

The first stage of selection involves an application by the student to the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation. International students must submit their applications to this organization by November 1 of the year before their planned date of program entry. This can be done via a Russian embassy or an international office of the Federal Agency. Applicants who pass this stage have their candidacy scrutinized by the Mining University. If they are found suitable, they will receive a direct invitation to join SPMU, and will not have to participate in the general admission process. Therefore, in addition to the financial incentive, this also significantly simplifies the entry process for excellent candidates.