International Scholarships to Study in Russia

International Scholarships to Study in Russia

Sabrina Collier

Updated January 16, 2020 Updated January 16

Are you interested in expanding your horizons to study in the world’s largest country, which has an impressive 68 universities featured in the QS BRICS University Rankings 2018? Read on for scholarships to study in Russia

Government-funded Russian scholarships for international students

  • Government of Russian Federation Scholarships – A set number of state scholarships to study in Russia are available for foreign students each year, with free tuition, student accommodation and a maintenance allowance, which amounted to 1,500 rubles a month in 2017 (approximately US$24). 15,000 of these scholarships were awarded in 2017.

Non-governmental Russian scholarships for international students

  • The School of Russian and Asian Studies (SRAS) – Lists scholarships to study abroad in Russia and other former Soviet states, most of which are specifically for US students.
  • Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships – Offers over 2,900 scholarships of up to US$5,000 for US undergraduate citizens to study or intern abroad. Applicants who are studying a foreign language (such as Russian) while abroad in a country in which the language is predominantly spoken will automatically be considered for the Critical Need Language Award, for a total award of $8,000.
  • BP in Russia Research Scholarships – Russian scholarships of RUB 15,000 - 35,000 (~US$240-560) every month for students studying for degrees in energy and economics at one of the partner Russian universities. Applicants must be studying on state grants, have excellent grades and aim to develop in their chosen subject in the future.
  • American Councils Scholarships – Various scholarships related to Russian language training and research in Russia, including the Title VIII Research Scholar Program, a scholarship for students to conduct independent research for three to eight months in one of the selected countries in Central Asia or Eastern Europe, including Russia. The value of the awards varies between US$7,000 to $25,000, and typically includes airfare, a monthly stipend, health insurance and more.
  • Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project – Scholarships are available for international students from any country to study a master’s degree in mathematics, physics, computer science or economics in Russia. Offered by the Russian Association of Global Universities, the scholarships cover the entirety of tuition fees.

University-specific Russian scholarships for international students

If you’re planning to study in Russia, take a look at our country guide, and see how Russian universities compare with those across the five BRICS countries in the latest QS BRICS University Rankings.

This article was originally published in October 2015. It was last updated in June 2018. 

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.

This article was originally published in June 2018 . It was last updated in January 2020

Written by

The former Assistant Editor of TopUniversities.com, Sabrina wrote and edited articles to guide students from around the world on a wide range of topics. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University and grew up in Staffordshire, UK. 

English