Questions and Answers

For medical and biological programs, please contact Mr. Sergei Titov (email: titov.si@dvfu.ru)

Currently, we have over 600 foreign students on our international programs from different countries

To apply for our International programs, please send the following documents to interadmission@dvfu.ru :
1. Your foreign passport copy/scan;
2. Academic certificate of your previous education (if it’s not in English or in Russian, it should be translated to one of these languages).

We also have an application fee of 3500 Russian Rubles; the admissions office will guide you on how to make this payment.

Please also click this link for more detailed info.

Our University is recognized by the WHO, QS ranking (we are within top 500 world universities), so upon graduation you will be able to work anywhere in the world. Although, you will have to pass a local licensing exam alternative (excluding post-Soviet countries (CIS), which don’t require this).
For example, FEFU is present in the World Directory of Medical Schools and is recognized by the ECFMG, so our graduates are eligible to pass USMLE.

The degree awarded to our graduates after 6 years of the "General Medicine" program is the Specialist degree. It is recognized as MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) in most countries. This degree is recognized as M.D. in Russia and post-soviet countries (CIS). In Russia, we also call this degree "Vrach" (Врач, literary "medical doctor").
The "Biomedicine" program awards you the Bachelor Degree. We also offer Master degree and post-graduate programs.

Our city, Vladivostok, is the capital of Primorsky Kray of Russia. Distance from Moscow to Vladivostok is ~7000 km, which makes up to 9 hours of flight. Our time zone is UTC+10.

Academic year begins on the 19th of September, but for first year students actual studying usually starts approx. 1-2 weeks later to give them enough time to finish all arrival formalities. So, the best time to arrive is between 18th and 23rd of September (after the Eastern Economic Forum is over, which will end on the 15th of September).

Our program has full English medium, all instruction is in English, for the full term of education (all 6 years). We do not switch to Russian language instruction in the final years of education. All academic communication between teachers and students is in English as well.
We do have Russian language as the part of our curriculum though (i.e. our students learn Russian language), but it is taught in English by some of our best teachers, so don’t worry too much.
It is actually quite helpful to know Russian, as it opens wider possibilities for doing clinical training in Russian hospitals.

Medical education in Russia lasts for 6 years, it's both theory and practical training. A significant part of the practical clinical training is done during each summer.

Exceptions are Pharmacy and Dentistry, which are 5 year programs. Biomedicine is a 4 year Bachelor program.

Currently, we plan to start the next semester as usual, in the offline mode. If the epidemics gets worse significantly, we will switch to the online mode. The online mode will also be available for students who are not able to arrive in time for classes due to officially closed borders or flight cancellation.

Our default platforms for online education are Webinar Meetings, BlackBoard LMS, and Microsoft Teams.

In case it's not possible to arrive to Russia due to closed borders, it will be possible to start your education online. Our platforms for online education are Webinar Meetings, BlackBoard LMS, and Microsoft Teams. It will be essential to arrive till the exam session starts though; online exams are not available.

Each class is 1h30m with a 10 min break in between; usually students have 3-5 classes per day.
Usually, classes start at 8:30 am or 10:10 am (local time, UTC+10).
University working/studying days: Mon - Sat (6 days/week).

Usually, we have 15-20 students in a group for practical and lab classes; lectures are given to the whole year (for all groups simultaneously).

Yes, attendance is compulsory. Connecting to online classes and participating in necessary online study activities is also considered attendance.

The most significant part of the clinical training is done every summer when students are sent to hospitals to work with patients under supervision of teachers-doctors. The complexity of practice, duties & responsibilities of students increase every year. That means it is done every year.
The part of clinical training for some subjects is also done during study semesters.

If you are willing to do summer clinical training in Russian, it is possible. There are no limitations by student number and it’s free of charge (you can even get a part time job and earn money by hospital work).
If you are willing to do summer hospital practical training with English-speaking patients, it is advised to do in your home country. In this case a FEFU will sign a contract for your training with a hospital of your choice and provide it with practical training curriculum.

(please mind that these dates are approximate; they can slightly change depending on the calendar)
Autumn semester: Sep 19 – Jan 23.
New Year holidays: Jan 1 – Jan 9.
Additional classes: Jan 10 – Jan 23.
Winter exams: 3 weeks in Jan-Feb.
Winter vacation: Feb 10 – Feb 23 (2 weeks).
Spring semester: Feb 24 – June 20.
Summer exams: June 20 – July 15.
Summer practical training: July 15 – Aug 10.
Summer vacations: Aug 10 - Sep 10.

Usually, we have around 10 subjects per semester. Studying is done according to Governmental educational standards, and that's why curriculum is mostly same in all Russian medical universities. Some details may vary, like which semester has the subject.
Some important subjects last for 2-3 semesters, like Anatomy.

In Russia, exams can be of 2 main types: 1. Pass/fail type exam, also called "zachot", and 2. Regular exam, which can result in an "excellent (5)", "good (4)", "satisfactory (3)" marks (passed), and "unsatisfactory" (failed).
Exam type depends on a subject, it can be oral, written, or a computer test.

If a student fails any exam, he/she will not be expelled immediately. The student can continue studying in the next semester as normal; however, it will be necessary to pass exams for failed subjects during this semester. There will be 2 attempts for each such subject, usually in March-April and October-November.

Unfortunately, no internal scholarships are available for contract students, except for sports scholarship. Although there is a possibility to get an abroad hospital or scientific training (short-term internship) for some our best performing students.
The only way for a foreigner to study for free is being funded by the Russian Governmental Scholarship Quota, or another third-party.

The dress code is white lab/doctor’s coats. There are some minor restrictions, like no open shoes and no hats inside buildings.

To apply for our International programs, please send the following documents to interadmission@dvfu.ru :
1. Your foreign passport copy/scan;
2. Academic certificate of your previous education (if it’s not in English or in Russian, it should be translated to one of these languages).

We also have an application fee of 3500 Russian Rubles; the admissions office will guide you on how to make this payment.

Please also click this link for more detailed info.

Indian citizens joining medical programs will also need to provide a NEET certificate.

Yes, we do require a NEET pass certificate from our Indian candidates joining medical programs. It is not the requirement of our university though, but one of the Indian Medical Council.
We don't have a NEET result threshold for admission though. You can also start the admission procedure before you get a NEET certificate, but we will need it later for sure.

To save time, you can apply and start the admission procedure before you get a NEET certificate. So, upon passing entrance exams and paying the admission fee, you will have a guaranteed seat in the university. But we will still need it later, and you can't start your education without a NEET result, if you are an Indian citizen.

All admission procedures should be over by the 31st of August, so the best date to apply is before the 20th of August.
However, if you need visa support, it is strongly reccommended to apply before the 8th of August.

Yes, we do accept transfer students from other universities. Please see this page for detailed instructions.

No, Russian language knowledge is not necessary for admission. Entrance exams are Biology and Chemistry only, and they both are held in English language. That means we don't have Russian as an entrance exam.
All instruction and academic communication is done in English, for the whole term of education (e.g. 6 years in case of the General Medicine program).

Tuition fee for our international programs for 2024 is as follows:
General Medicine Specialist program (6 years): 440 000 Russian Rubles per year
Biomedicine Bachelor program (4 years): 330 000 Russian Rubles per year
Clinical and Experimantal Pharmacy Specialist program (5 years): 320 000 Russian Rubles per year
Molecular and Cell Biology Master program (2 years): 330 000 Russian Rubles per year

Accommodation fees in campus hostels wary between 4400 Russian Rubles/month for a 2 share room, and 3800 Russian Rubles/month for a 4 share.
This makes a total of approx. 44 000 Russian Rubles per year, excluding summer vacation (approx. equivalent of 650 USD).
Mess is not included in the accommodation fee.

All foreign students are required to purchase the medical insurance, which costs ~5000 Russian Rubles per year. It covers most issues.
Upon arrival, all international students need to get a multi-entrance students visa for 1 year, and extend it annually for the whole duration of education. Visa fee is 2100 Rub. per year.
Medical students need to pass annual medical checkup to be allowed to have hospital classes, which costs approx. ~8000 Rub. (exact cost may wary).
If the COVID-19 pandemics intensifies again, and we are instructed appropriately, all students arriving from abroad will be required to pass an additional PCR test for SARS-Cov-2 virus infection. It costs 2000 Rub.

Yes, it is possible, you can pay tuition fee by semesters. I.e., tuition fees can be paid in 2 instalments, before each semester starts (spring semester is paid before the 25th of December, the next autumn semester is paid before the 1st of July).
The very first payment (1st semester for fresh 1st year students) should be paid within 3 days after signing a contract with the University.
It is also possible to pay in smaller instalments upon a special request.

Yes, all students from a city other than Vladivostok can accommodate in a university dorm. All foreign students of international programs get accommodation in campus hostels.

Yes, there are 25 hostel buildings on the FEFU campus. All foreign students get accommodation in campus hostels.
We do actually have a few hostels in the downtown outside of the campus, but our foreign students usually don't get accommodation there.

Maximum distance from hostels to study buildings is an equivalent of 15-20 min on foot. Some hostels are closer. We also have a free bus line inside the campus with an interval of ~10 min.

Aside from all necessary educational and administrative facilities, the campus has cafes & cafeterias, groceries, pharmacies, post office, bank offices & ATMs, medical center, stationary goods, sport facilities, and other. Please check out this page for more info.

It is good. We have our own University security service, and its members are present in every university building. Also, we use pass system, that’s why no strangers can enter hostels or study buildings without permission. Students can address security at any time. We also have emergency security service phone number available 24/7. A police station and a fire emergency station are located near the campus.

We provide 2-share, 3-share and 4-share rooms (the latter one is a 2-room suite). All rooms have a bathroom. Rooms are equipped with all necessary furniture, refrigerators, etc. Common kitchens are available in hostel buildings (at least 1 per floor). Usually, you can’t choose a room type, but you can choose your neighbours upon getting a room. It will be possible to change the room or hostel approx. 1 month after the start of the semester.
Post-graduate students can have single accommodation rooms.

Unfortunately, we don't provide single accommodation rooms to undergraduate or master students, and it is not possible to live without neighbours.
Single accommodation is available only to post-graduate students.

Yes, we do provide students with free Wi-Fi access in all hostels and other campus buildings.

Yes, it is possible, but usually all relocations are unlocked not before than ~1 month into the semester. You can apply for relocation via your personal university account. Room change will be possible provided free rooms are available on the campus. Also, students academic rating can be taken into consideration if there is a large queue for relocation within the campus.
It is also possible to change a room according to a simpler procedure, if you find people who are eager to exchange rooms with you & your neighbours directly. In this case, please refer to your hostel administrator/receptionist.

Please refer to your hostel administrator/receptionist as soon as possible. It is strongly advised that you check your standard room equipment as soon as you get accommodation.
If the damage was caused by the room owner, he/she may be charged the price of this equipment or repair/refurbishing.

No, we don’t have any temples or special praying rooms for any religion on the campus.

Hostels are same for boys and girls; rooms are separate.

Yes, if you are officially married, couples can live together in the same room without neighbours.

We don't have any special rules for hostel attendance; you can go into your own hostel at any time (i.e. there is no curfew). As for other our hostels, which you don't reside in, attendance time is 7:00-23:00

Yes, it is possible for a caregiver to live together with a person with a disability in the same room. The accommodation fee will be higher than for students though but still lower then our general hotel prices.

The campus has many canteens, cafeteria etc., mostly offering European food.
Mess in not included in the accommodation fee.
Students can go to cafeteria on the campus, order food delivery from the downtown, of cook themselves in common kitchens in hostels. The campus has shops/groceries for supplies.
Cooking in rooms is not allowed; students can cook in common kitchens which are on every floor of every hostel; there are ovens, microwave oven, etc.

Climate in Vladivostok can be quite cold in winter, as everywhere in Russia. Students usually arrive for the first time during the fall season, so it's necessary to be prepared for winter.
In winter, temperatures can go down to -15C -20C degrees below zero; it's windy and cold in general. Proper winter clothing is required (down-padded coat, hat, gloves, winter boots, etc.). All campus buildings and hostels are centrally heated though, it’s comfortable in hostels and in study buildings in winter. In summer it's +25C, humid and warm.

Student visa allows foreign students to work while studying in Russia; a job permission may be required though. Please mind that getting a job locally will most likely require at least some knowledge of Russian language.
The main requirement - your job shouldn't interfere with studying.
Upon graduation and passing Russian Medical Licensing exam, you will also be able to work in Russia as a doctor, although you will need to switch your visa to a working visa.

Yes, students are allowed to travel during holidays since they get a multi-entrance student visa upon arrival. The only requirement is to return before classes start and extend this visa 2 months before it expires.