Dear prospective students!

Almost 65 years ago our Institute accepted the first two hundred students. They were war veterans who overcame the ordeals of the Second World War and were determined to build a new peaceful life. These years encompassed many different epochs! Our alumni witnessed and took part in so many momentous events!

Founded as a forge for diplomatic officials, today MGIMO has become a unique international centre of humanities with a reputation for scientific excellence. MGIMO is one of the world’s leading universities. Its status is supported by a high position in the university rankings. The Book of Russian Records acknowledges MGIMO as the university with highest number of foreign languages taught.

Today, over six thousand students study at MGIMO; nearly a thousand of them are international. New departments and specializations are launched every year; the range of academic disciplines is constantly expanding. We are successfully developing our international cooperation with the leading Western universities. Our alumni hold high positions in the Government, the private and the public sectors; they have brilliant careers in world’s largest corporations and leading Russian companies.

Since the foundation over 30 000 students have graduated from MGIMO. Today, many of them send their children to study here because MGIMO is a very special kind of family. Wherever on Earth our alumni find themselves they can always find other MGIMO alumni who are ready to help.

We are not simply training high-skilled professionals, and the intellectual, political and economic elite of our country. We are forging the futures of Russia and World. Join us because we believe in you!

May you pass all the exams successfully and become the worthy students of MGIMO! I wish the best of luck to all of you.

Anatoly V. Torkunov
Rector of MGIMO-University,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary,
Member of Russian Academy of Sciences

Last update: Feb. 24, 2009