Russia, the largest country in the world, with  time zones, the Russian Federation spends around 4.7 Trillion RUB on the education sector. Being one of the major priority sectors of the government it ensures that it provides students with a high-quality education at affordable rates. 

In 2021, over 4 million students enrolled in Russian higher education institutions. International students accounted for 351000 and in  same year, around 16500 Indian students were in Russian institutions. The language barrier can be a cause of low Indian turnout there but things are changing.

The  broadening opportunities coupled with employment opportunist for Indian  students make studying abroad in Russia unique. Low tuition fees, affordable living cost and  positive opinion of India make Russia a comfortable country to study and work.

Russia has around 450 state-accredited universities that offer over 17,500 degree programs and have  undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctorate degrees are scientifically and practically oriented courses to offer.

Talking about benefits of studying in Russia, we may consider following points:

Globally recognized degree:
. With  the specialised education in the fields of Science, Engineering, Space technology, Nuclear technology, AI and other new and specialised fields, the Russian education system is considered one of the best education systems in the world. So, when a student attains a degree from a Russian university, it is globally recognized.

Learn a new language

Russian is a mother tongue to 157 million people and do spoken in 19 countries, a student can gauge the opportunities.

The Russian government offers scholarship opportunities to all international students. The condition being students must enroll in some Russian-medium courses. So, students get to learn a new language spoken widely worldwide.

A student can also get work visa while studying and can get 20 hours a week to improve his finances.

The scholarships offered, in some cases,  are enough to fund entire tuition fees.

Russia has Universities which are  ranked in the QS Top Universities Ranking, 2023 and are members of the Association of European Universities. Additionally, there are over 741 universities across 82 regions in Russia.

Mentioned Below are the QS world rankings 2023 of the best universities to study in Russia: 

Lomonosov Moscow State University is ranked  #75.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University #230 
35 undergraduate programs and several

Novosibirsk State University #260
Tomsk State University  is ranked 264.and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT/Moscow Phystech)  is placed at 267.
It is follows by  Saint Petersburg State University 270 place in QS ranking.

Cost Of Studying in Russia 

With the current exchange rate of 1 rouble equal to INR 0.86, studying at a Russian university is quite affordable.  On average, a student can expect to pay anywhere between ₽ 85987 to ₽ 455232 per year at prestigious institutes. 

Moreover, the cost of living is much less when students study in Russia as compared to Western counties, the several scholarship opportunities available make living easier and comfortable.

Undergraduate Programs – 

Generally a four-year course, the undergraduate programs cost approximately ₽ 240000 to ₽260,000 per year. 

Postgraduate Programs – 

These are two-year programs and provide in-depth subject knowledge. These courses generally cost approximately ₽260-280,000 thousand per year. 

Specialist’s Programs – 

These are specialized courses that require five years of theoretical and practical training. On average, they cost approximately ₽240,000 to ₽ 260,000 annually. 

So students, plan your higher education in Russia.

Around $ 54 billion have said to have been allocated in the Russian Federal Budget for next financial year for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Russian  Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced on Tuesday.

“In total, 5.2 bln rubles are allocated from federal funds for the development of artificial intelligence for the next year,” he said.

The minister opined that AI has a bright future around the globe and added that the Russian artificial intelligence market grew by 18% in 2022 alone, touching $6.74 bn.

Russia seems to wrest the initiative in investing  in AI.  It is estimated  that Russia’s gross domestic product will touch  $114.4 bn by 2030.

“.. thanks to the massive introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies”, the office of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said, “and implementation of the strategy by 2030, with maximum investments over 5 years, additional GDP growth from the mass implementation of AI is predicted in the amount of 11.2 trillion rubles total by 2030,” the statement said.

According to the data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the total bilateral trade between India and Russia in 2020-2021 was $6.43 billion, which is a decline of 19.6% compared to the previous year. The major exports from India to Russia include pharmaceuticals, tea, coffee, tobacco, and apparel. Meanwhile, the major imports from Russia to India include crude oil, precious stones, fertilizers, and metals.

Overall, while the bilateral trade between India and Russia has shown some fluctuations in recent years, the two countries have been working to strengthen their economic relationship through various initiatives, including the International North-South Transport Corridor and the India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue.

In the past decade, the bilateral trade between India and Russia has fluctuated, with some years showing significant growth and others showing a decline. For example, the bilateral trade between the two countries in 2018-2019 was $11.4 billion, which was a 17.74% increase compared to the previous year. However, in 2019-2020, the bilateral trade declined by 6.98% to $9.13 billion.

The long term Indo-Russian defence ties is stable and growing despite American pressure. Though  India has made a multi billion dollar defence with US, it may not be infered as shifting its reliance on Russian defence equipment and moving towards the West. Since Modi government’s thrust on ’Make in India’ initiative, it’s more about developing its own domestic weapons industry, security officials and analysts say.

India has been the world’s biggest arms importer but now all of its major purchases contracts have  provision for joint manufacture or technology transfer and that is irrespective of which country it is dealing with.

As per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute data, in last 20 years,  India purchased weapons worth $60 billion, of which 65% or nearly $39 billion were from Russia,

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India intends to order weapons from the domestic arms industry worth over $100 billion over the next decade.

Though during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent state visit to Washington, India signed deals which included over one billion dollar order for GE engines for fighter jets and a possible $3 billion deal for MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones is also being discussed but it is in line with New Delhi’s desire for self-reliance in defence.

However, the moves so far will not be sufficient to end New Delhi’s reliance on Russia while stringent U.S. rules governing the sharing of military technology limit future possibilities for now.

Arzan Tarapore, an Indian security expert at Stanford University, said the deals announced during Modi’s visit “do not in themselves represent an Indian shift away from Russia.” A big shift away from Russia will take multiple decades,” he said. India still uses mostly Russian technology for traditional arms.

Howeve Russia’s unending war against Ukraine has handicapped Russia’s ability to deliver weapons and equipment. Indian Air Force (IAF) recently informed a parliamentary panel  Russia’s  can delay deliveries of spares for Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and MiG-29 jet fighter planes as the remaining two of the five Russian S-400 air defence systems, purchased for $5.5 billion in 2018, has also been delayed, it said.

India has also been expecting to receive two nuclear-powered attack submarines from Russia over the next few years, but these might also be delayed, defence officials said.

All such problems have compelled India to look sideways for its defence needs in view of continuous Chinese and Pakistani threats.

However, Bill Greenwalt, a former senior Pentagon official for industrial policy, said that  America’s strict control system for armaments and the restrictions it places both on technology sharing would frustrate India and would compel it to remain top importer of Russian defence equipments and arms.

Even if India can transition away from Moscow over the next few decades, Grossman said, “the U.S. will still have suspicions about how their systems are being used and how that might help the Russians in some sort of way, because of that close India-Russia partnership.”

This fear of US defence think tank despite India being their strategic ally in QUAD would keep India close to a more trusted and dependable friend – Russia.

One of the main advantages of studying in Russia for Indian students is the affordability of education. Tuition fees and living costs in Russia are relatively lower compared to many other countries, making it an attractive destination for students who want to pursue their studies without incurring high expenses.

Russian universities are also known for their high academic standards, with many universities featuring in international rankings and producing highly skilled graduates. Additionally, Russian universities often offer scholarship opportunities for international students, making it even more affordable to pursue higher education in Russia.

To study in Russia, Indian students need to obtain a student visa and meet the admission requirements of the university they wish to attend. This typically involves submitting academic transcripts, language proficiency scores, and other documents to demonstrate their eligibility for admission.

Overall, Russian education offers Indian students an affordable and high-quality option for pursuing higher education, with the added advantage of cultural exchange and exposure to a new environment.

Meeting with the high delegation is going to held in Udmurt, Russia