How to apply

INRTU offers more than 200 degree programs, delivered both in English and Russian languages. We also have double degree programs and short term study opportunities such as foundation courses, foreign languages and summer school.

In case of uncertainty on program choice, we encourage you to schedule a zoom meeting with our Admissions Manager for a qualified consultation on choosing the perfect program for you. Contact us to schedule a meeting by email: admission@istu.edu.

We advise you to submit your application at least 2 months before your program schedule start period to facilitate timely issuance of invitation letter necessary for processing your visa.

Late applications will still be processed though you might miss the beginning of your studies as visa processing takes time.

There is one intake for degree programs:

September / October

There are several intakes for non-degree programs:

• Foundation course (2 years) – October, November
• Preparatory course (15-month Russian language course) – February, March

The list of required documents for initial assessment includes:

• duly filled in application form (see below);
• a high-quality scan copy of international passport (must be valid for at least 1.5 years);
• a high-quality scan copies of your education certificate(s) and academic transcript(s).

Send your documents to admission@istu.edu or contact one of our managers.

Our admission team will process your documents and contact you within 5-10 business days with results of the review process.

Take the entrance exams online. We offer up to 80% tuition fee discounts for English-taught programs and up to 34% discounts for Russian-taught programs. Your score on the entrance exams determines the tuition discount offered to you.

To read more about exams and tuition discounts.

Upon successful completion of your entrance exams, you will receive a conditional letter of acceptance within 1-2 business days from our admissions team.

In most cases, documents are required to be certified in the applicant’s home country.

Applicants from some countries will also have to go through a procedure of recognition of their diplomas or certificates in Russia.

There are 2 types of legalizations:

• consular legalization

This procedure is carried out in 2 stages:

Stage 1. Witnessing of documents by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of issue of the document (depending on legislative requirements of the country of issue: generally the original, in some countries – copies) – the corresponding stamps with the indication of the position and the signature of the assuring person are put down;

Stage 2. Witnessing of documents by Consulate/Embassy of the Russian Federation in the country of issue of the document – the corresponding stamps with the indication of the position and the signature of the assuring person are put down.

• «Apostille – a simplified legalization procedure, read more.

Without legalization

No legalization of education documents is required if the country of issue and the Russian Federation have executed a treaty on no legalization.

As of 2024, these countries include:

• Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria . China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan , North, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.

An updated list is available on the website or you can get more information at the Russian Embassy in your country.

Admission team will send you a student contract and all necessary documents for your successful enrollment. You have to sign the full set of documents for admission and send them to your admission manager.

Please note that international money transfers to Russia are not possible at the moment. Your admission manager will provide you with payment instructions. We will refund your payment in case you decide not to study or your student visa is denied.

The invitation letter is issued by the Federal Migration Service within 30-45 days. An electronic version of invitation letter will be sent to you by email.

Visit Russian Embassy in your country, the issuing time for student visa is approximately 10 days.

As soon as you receive your student visa, please read the guide on how to prepare for coming to Russia.

We are waiting for you in Irkutsk. Welcome!