Skip Navigation

The Education System in the Russian Federation

Preprimary:

  • Common name: Doshkolnoe obrazovanie
  • Ages of attendance: As early as age 3 to age 6 years and
  • 6 months
  • Number of years: 1 to 4
  • Start of universal enrollment: Does not begin in preprimary;
  • see below
  • Compulsory: No

Primary:

  • Common name: Nachal'noje obshchee obrazovanie
  • Ages of attendance: 5 or 6 to 10
  • Number of years: 4
  • Start of universal enrollment: Ages 5 to 6
  • Compulsory: Yes

NOTE: There are no formal divisions between primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary schools in the Russian Federation. Primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary schools are generally located in the same buildings except in rural areas.

Lower secondary:

  • Common name: Osnovnoe obshcheeobrazovanie (Basic school)
  • Ages of attendance: 11 to 15 (most students turn 15 during the last year of lower secondary school)
  • Number of years: 5
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Yes, in order to graduate from basic school, students must pass four written examinations: one in Russian language, one in algebra, and two in other subjects chosen by the student.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name: Professional'no-technicheskoe uchilische; kolledž,professional'nylitsei,or technikum; srednee (polnoe) obshchee obrasovanie
  • Ages of attendance: 16 to 17 for secondary general school, and
  • 16 up to 19 for vocational schools
  • Number of years: Varies according to the type of school: 2 (for
  • secondary general school), 2-4 (for vocational schools)
  • Universal enrollment: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Students in the Russian Federation must pass two written exams at the end of secondary school in order to obtain the Certificate of Secondary Complete General Education. These exams include Russian language and Mathematics and are administered in the form of the Unified State Examination.

NOTE: Students who have graduated from lower secondary school have the option to continue in three types of upper secondary schools:

  • Professional'no-technicheskoeuchilische: These schools provide professional education only in a program that usually lasts
  • 2 years.
  • Srednee (polnoe) obshchee obrasovanie: Students who wish to continue their academic training enter these upper secondary schools, which last for 2 years and provide students with a Certificate of Secondary Complete General Education. This certificate qualifies students to apply for entrance into higher education. Graduates may also continue their study in initial and secondary vocational schools.
  • Kolledž, professional'ny litsei, or technikum: These schools provide combined professional and academic programs that lead to a diploma (Certificate of Secondary Complete General Education). The programs are usually 3 or 4 years.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: Kolledž, technikum, universitet
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree
  • Universal enrollment: No
  • Entrance criteria: Candidates are accepted to the post secondary vocational institutions on the basis of the results of the Unified State Examinations or additional examinations called vstupitelnoe ispytanie. The number of exams and the subject varies according to the department a student wishes to attend, although all students must take an exam in Russian language.

Common degree programs:

  • Nonuniversity-level diploma: Obtained from kolledž (colleges) and technikum (technical colleges). These diplomas are in applied or vocational fields and require 2 years of study after secondary school. Students may be able to enter university-level institutions after completing this degree and transfer some or all credits toward a bakalavr.
  • Diploma o nepolnom vysshem obrazovanii (diploma of
  • incomplete higher education): If students leave university after at least 2 years of study, they may ask for this diploma, which allows them to work in certain jobs that require some university experience but not a degree.
  • Bakalavr (bachelor's degree): Program requiring 4 years of university study.
  • Magistr (master's degree): Competitive 2-year program for students who have completed their bakalavr's degree. Most require a year of research and a thesis.
  • Diplom: This specialized diploma can be obtained either by completing 1 year of study beyond the bakalavr or by completing 5 to 6 years of continuous study after upper secondary school.
  • Kandidat nauk: Students who hold a diplom or magistr are eligible to apply for these programs, which typically last for 3 years and require students to carry out independent research and defend a dissertation in public. Equivalent of a doctorate in the United States.
  • Doktor nauk: This is the highest possible academic degree in the Russian Federation, for which there is no U.S. equivalent. This degree requires that a kandidat nauk gain reputation in his or her field of study, publish independent research, and have experience supervising undergraduates. A 3-year sabbatical is often taken to prepare research for the degree, although there is no specified length of time required to obtain it. The doktor nauk requires a public dissertation defense (in addition to the defense completed to obtain a kandidat nauk).

Sources:

EuroEducation Net (2006). Education Systems in Europe: Russia. London: EuroEducation. Retrieved December 15, 2010, from http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/russco.htm.

Marlow-Ferguson, R. (Ed.) (2002). World Education Encyclopedia: A Survey of Educational Systems Worldwide, Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (1996). Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators. Paris: Author.

Robitaille, D.F. (1997). National Contexts for Mathematics and Science Education: An Encyclopedia of the Education Systems Participating in TIMSS. Vancouver, Canada: Pacific Educational Press.