History
On 28 January 1724 Emperor Peter the Great decreed that the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences and the University should be established.
Education
Saint-Petersburg State University has 418 main educational programmes and more than 800 additional educational programmes.
Research
Research development is a top priority of St Petersburg University mapping out its further growth. It is based on the SPbU Strategic Plan 2020 aimed, among other things, at comprehensive development of research, expert activity and innovation.
Our Research Park unites teams from the resource centres acting within the framework of the main areas of the SPbU Strategic Plan. The users' tasks can be solved at several resource centres, either simultaneously or consecutively, as well as on a cross-disciplinary basis at one centre.
Career
The University has 2000+ long-term cooperation agreements with such international companies as IBM, Unilever, PepsiCo, McKinsey, Google, Carl Zeiss, Microsoft, Leica, Intel, Adobe, Huawei and many others. St Petersburg University partner organizations offer internships for students and take part in the development and assessment of study programmes.
Saint-Petersburg University Key Statistics & Highlights
- #375 Ranking
- 18 Masters
- 47 Scholarships
- 3,207 Academic Staff
- 25,721 Students
- 4,863 Students (int'l)
- Public Institution Type
Saint-Petersburg University Overview
Saint-Petersburg University Scholarships
Saint-Petersburg University Scholarships
Below you will find scholarships related to Saint-Petersburg University. Distinction can be made between scholarships provided by the University and those provided by independent providers.
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Saint-Petersburg University Student Reviews & Awards
Based on 63 reviews
- 5 Star 27 Reviews
- 4 Star 24 Reviews
- 3 Star 9 Reviews
- 2 Star 3 Reviews
- 1 Star 0 Reviews
How Students Rated This University
- Overall Satisfaction 4.1
- Student Teacher Interaction 4.1
- Admission Process 4.3
honest description for applicants
I haven't been a student at my university yet. but I like the approach of most teachers. they can help solve not only problems with studies, but also understand when there are personal problems. we also have enough time to prepare for the exams.
Brief review of the Russian Foreign Trade Academ
I am very happy with my university, I am getting the necessary and in-depth knowledge and I understand that I will become a highly qualified specialist in my field
Disruption of the Educational system
I currenty study in one of the best russian universities. When I went to university, the liberal arts program was one of the most prestigious and competitive. However, due to the political situation in the country, its existence became impossible. In the last two years, the curriculum has changed a lot, a lot of professors have been fired, and it has become more difficult to conduct science. Nevertheless, I really appreciate the experience that the university gave me and the educational background that allows me to do research now.
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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Overall SatisfactionHow would you rate your overall study experience?
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Student Teacher InteractionHow helpful were your teachers?
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Admission ProcessHow simple was it to apply to your programme?
Saint-Petersburg University Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
By TopUniversities
Dropped 10 places compared to 2025
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 315 | 365 | 375 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
The university hasn’t moved up or down in the rankings over the past year.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | 401 | 401 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
By U.S. News & World Report
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 743 | - | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Housing services
SPbU Campus offers you 21 halls of residence, with 12 located in Petrodvortsovy District of St Petersburg, 8 in Vasileostrovsky District and 1 in Nevsky District. Currently, SPbU provides approximately 12,800 places in its halls of residence. All accommodation is furnished for living and studying; the halls have laundry facilities, cafes, canteens, shops, gyms and fitness facilities, and ATMs. All rooms have Internet access.
Library services
The M. Gorky Scientific Library collection was founded over 230 years ago at St Petersburg University, which is the oldest university in Russia. Today, the Library is a large modern information centre with access to world scientific information.
The Library print collection runs to 6.8 million copies and almost 2 million titles.
Campus life
The Twelve Collegia, as the main building of the University, demonstrates a notable example of Peter the Great’s architectural period and was built by Domenico Trezzini and А. F. Shchedrin in the 18th century. Initially, it was a place for the Russian government: Senate, Synod, and collegia. In 1838, it was commissioned to the University. Since it has been housing offices, Gorky Research Library, resource centres and laboratories of the Research Park. It is also a place where we hold important events: ceremonies, concerts, conferences, and meetings with famous people and those who come to visit the University.
Sports facilities
Each year, over 5,000 students take part in the sports competitions at SPbU. 300 students are members of 19 SPbU’s teams in 15 sports.
15 students of SPbU are the members of the Russian National teams.
Among SPbU’s students, there are 3 masters of sports of international class and 15 master of sports of Russia. SPbU’s teams have 31 Candidates of Sports, while 72 students have the athletic titles.
Accreditation
St. Petersburg College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC).