Source: Peoples’Friendship University of Russia –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In honor of the 66th anniversary of our university, 95 diplomats from 60 countries gathered in its walls. At the round table “All flags at RUDN”, the university presented a new educational course and talked about other programs and study opportunities at the university for foreign citizens.
Promotion of the Russian language
Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of RUDN, made a short presentation for the guests. He noted that the university has seen a significant increase in interest in learning the Russian language. For the past two years, the number of foreigners enrolled in philological fields has increased by almost 80%.
The Digital Preparatory Faculty significantly helps in promoting the Russian language abroad. About 7,000 people from 85 countries are currently studying there. On the online platform, they not only learn the language, but also gain the knowledge necessary for admission in the fields they are interested in: humanities, natural sciences, engineering, biomedical, and economics.
Since 2025, the RUDN Generation program has been successfully operating on the platform of the Digital Preparatory Faculty, and more than 200 people are already participating in it. Foreign university graduates and their family members study Russian online for free.
In the same year, RUDN launches a special Russian language training program for diplomats.
“We offer free Russian language training to employees of diplomatic missions of foreign states located in the territory of the Russian Federation. We have developed an individual program for ambassadors” said Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of RUDN.
The training will take place on the Digital Faculty platform. The course duration will be 4 months.
Education on request
In his report to the participants of the round table, the Rector also highlighted a special priority of RUDN — designing educational programs for specific needs of economies.
“We are initiating the creation of educational programs in such fields as engineering, agricultural technology, medicine and ecology,” said Oleg Yastrebov.
A striking example is the Sustainable Urban Development program, developed at the request of the Ghanaian authorities. At the end of 2025, 45 municipal managers of the country passed it. Ghanaian specialists not only attended lectures by RUDN experts and thematic seminars but also participated in practical exercises analyzing real-world cases from their professional field. The program also included workshops and excursions to urban infrastructure facilities, such as the EcoLine company, which deals with waste removal, sorting, recycling and disposal.
Another important project is the English-language master’s degree program “Agroholdings for the Global South”. It trains agronomists for countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, considering local specifics.
Support for international students
Mikhail Katsarsky, Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, told the guests in detail about the support system for foreign students. He noted that 94 active national communities, where compatriots help newcomers, play an important role in the adaptation of students.
In addition, according to the Vice-Rector, when settling into a dormitory, an international principle applies — there is a Russian student in every room with a foreigner to promote language practice.
Mikhail Ilyich paid special attention to the support of student families. The university has two children’s rooms, one of them opened together with the family floor in the 1st building of the dormitory. About 30 families living on campus are international students.
“Students and university staff can leave their children in the rooms for several hours under the supervision of professional educators,” said Mikhail Katsarsky.
The Vice-Rector also told the guests about the university’s One-Stop Center, which provides over 90 services, and about the Interclub studios, where students can discover their creative talents.
The way to free learning through competition
Marina Reketz, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, reminded the diplomats about the key admission tool for foreigners — the RUDN Open Olympiad.
Its winners get the opportunity to enrol in our university under the quota of the Russian Government. The winners get a substantial discount on tuition. The participants of the Olympiad are tested face-to-face or online in their chosen field (physics, chemistry, computer science, ecology, and others), after which the online participants will have a video interview stage, where potential students will check the level of knowledge demonstrated on the test, motivation, and willingness to learn.
“In 2025, more than 15,000 people from 130 countries took part in the RUDN Open Olympiad for Foreign Citizens. The winners were 1,749 people. In 2026, 650 quotas have been allocated, which will be distributed through the Olympics,” said Marina Reketz, Vice-Rector for International Affairs.
Diplomats about RUDN University
The Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to Russia, Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah, made a speech at the round table, where he thanked RUDN for the education, skills and friendly relations he had received.
“I am confident that the cooperation that I started when I arrived in Russia as Ambassador to the Russian Federation benefits our two countries culturally and technologically, contributing to economic growth,” said Koma Steem Jehu-Appiah.
In turn, Rector Oleg Yastrebov presented the graduate with the latter’s personal file, which had been kept at the university since 1985. Oleg Alexandrovich noted that there is a characteristic of the future ambassador given by a political party in the case, and if you look at his grades, you can see that he had almost all A’s.
At the end of the meeting, representatives of Abkhazia and China thanked our university for the support provided to foreign students by the national fraternity of students, and the contribution of RUDN to training excellent specialists. The traditional round table ended on a warm and friendly note.
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