Academic terms and conditions

The academic admission terms for foreign citizens to enroll for studies in the Russian university and non-university level educational establishments, concern the level of skills, abilities and aptitudes of the foreign citizens, in short of everything what has been a definition of the personality and individuality of a human being through ages. To spare university entrants proving their abilities by various tests, examinations and interviews, the academic admission terms are fixed by the corresponding normative and legal acts, and they are determined first and foremost by formal evaluation of their documents on education. Such an approach seems the most proper for admission of foreign citizens dwelling outside the Russian Federation who doesn't speak Russian fluently enough but who is eager to study in Russia. It is especially important on the preliminary stage, when the applicant and the educational establishment are coming to a mutual decision whether (s)he will study in this particular educational establishment of university or non-university level. This process has a lot in common with acknowledgement and establishment of equivalence of the documents on education; decision on equivalence of one or another document, though, is taken by the government or else by corresponding authorities.

There is a certain correlation between the academic terms for foreign citizens' admission to educational establishments of university or non-university level and the terms of acknowledgement of documents on education. That is why the guidelines of the admission terms read as follows:

· inadmissibility of discrimination against any personal quality, such as gender, race, colour, disability, language, religion, political or other convictions, national, ethnic or social origin, belonging to a national minority, an estate, status or any other attribute of an applicant. It is skills, knowledge and aptitude of applicants to be considered as competitive for enrolment.

· Sufficiency of skills, knowledge and aptitude of an applicant must be evaluated by means of:

- the analysis of the normative and legal acts being in power, including respective international agreements, international practice and international recommendations;

- consideration of the academic admission terms being in force in the country where the documents on education were issued. The general international approach in that case is to provide an applicant with the same or similar academic rights to enter an educational establishment as applicants with appropriate domestic (Russian) documents on education can exercise. According to common international practice nobody can be provided with more academic rights or broader academic access for enrollment than those (s)he would enjoy in the state where the documents on education were issued.

Hereafter are listed documents to be considererd as academic admission terms to enter a Russian educational establishment of university or non-university level. The lists are based, in the first place, on the international agreements and international recommendations available in the section "Agreements on Equivalence of Educational Documents" (given in the ABC order of countries) and mentioned bellow in this article, too. Then the lists are founded on Russian official documents currently in force. And moreover, the listed titels of the educational documents originate from comparison of normative and legal acts being in effect and the analysis of the current state of affairs in pre-university educational systems of those countries.

As it has already been mentioned, one should keep in mind that besides submition of educational documents, specification of other academic admission terms (i.e. if two or more educational documents should be submitted, what requirements should be applied to the lowest or average level of marks, availability of all or only a number of programs etc.) should proceed from the contents of normative and legal acts (first of all, from the text of the Agreement on Equivalence of Educational Documents between Russia and the country where the educational document has been issued: look up Section 'Agreements on Equivalence of Educational Documents') as well as from academic admission terms available to the holder of the document in the country where it has been issued (explore Section 'Educational Systems in Other Countries').

This Section allows for the Law of the Russian Federation 'On Education' where it follows from, that to enroll for programs of higher or secondary professional training an applicant must hold a certificate of complete secondary education (or its equivalent) and those who have a certificate of incomplete secondary education (or its equivalent) can apply only for programs of secondary vocational training. It must be pointed out, though, that absolute majority of secondary vocational training programs are realized on basis of complete secondary education level.

Australia
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· Australian Capital Territory Year 12 Certificate
· New South Wales Higher School Certificate
· Northern Territory Senior Secondary Studies Certificate
· Queensland Senior Certificate
· South Australian Certificate of Education
· Tasmanian Certificate of Education
· Victorian Certificate of Education
· Western Australia Certificate of Secondary Education

Austria
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

Reifeprufungszeugnis

Azerbaijan
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· Orta Tahsil Haqqinda Attestati
· Diplom/ the Diploma on vocational education with complete secondary general education
· Diplom/ the Diploma on non-university level higher education issued in the Azerbaijani Republic

For programs of non-university level of vocational training only

· The certificate on basic general education

Angola
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· Diploma of Intermediate Education (Diploma de Ensino Medio)
· Certrficado de Estudios Pre-Universitarios
· Secondary School Leaving Certificate

For programmes of non-university level of vocational training only

· The certificate on finishing the 3rd stage of school education
· Diploma de Ensino de Base, III Nivel
· The Diploma on finishing II cycle courses for skilled personnel in the system of professional education (corresponds to the 3rd stage of school education)

Armenia
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· The Certificate on general secondary education
· Mijnakarg Krtutyan Attestat
· Hasunutian Vkaiakan
· The Diploma on vocational education together with the secondary (complete) general education
· The Diploma on non-university level higher education
For the programmes of non-university level higher education only

· The Certificate on general secondary education

Afghanistan
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· Baccaluria/Baccalaureate
For programmes of non-university level of vocational training only

· The nine-year education Certificate

Bangladesh
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· Higher Secondary Certificate
· Higher Secondary School Certificate.

For the programs of non-university level of vocational training only

· The documents on education, handed after successful ten-year school education (the 1st or 2nd category)
· Secondary School Certificate

Belarus
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· The Certificate on General Secondary Education
· The Diploma on Vocational Education together with Secondary General Education
· The Diploma on higher non-university level professional education

For programs of non-university level of vocational training only

· The Certificate on basic general education

Bulgaria
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· The School-Leaving Certificate
· The Diploma on completed secondary education
· The Diploma on Secondary Education
· The Diploma on completed Semi-higher Education

For programs of non-university level of vocational training only

· The Certificate on completed Basic Education

Great Britain
For programs of university and non-university level of professional training

· The Cambridge Commonwealth Overseas and Higher School Certificates. The applicants should pass examinations in five disciplines with two for Advanced or Principle level, or else in four disciplines with three for Advanced or Principle level.
· General Certificate of Secondary Education (G.C.S.E.) plus General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.), "A" levels;
· Higher School Certificate Examination with two and more "G.C.E. A Levels"
· Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate
· Northern Ireland General Certificate of Education of 5 courses including 2 of them for "A" level, or of 4 courses including 3 of them for "A" level
· General Certificate of Education
· General Certificate of Education (GCE) - Ordinary Level, Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE), General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)
· Scottish Certificate of Education (Higher Standard)

Academic admission terms for citizens of other countries can be found in the Section 'Academic terms of admission of foreign citizens to Russian educational establishments of higher professional and secondary vocational training'.


The source: A Guide to Academic Terms for Admission of Foreign Citizens To Study in Educational Establishments of University or Non-University Level of Professional Training