With a history dating back to 1724, St Petersburg University (SPbU) is the first institution of higher education in Russia http://english.spbu.ru/. Today, St Petersburg University is one of the leading international centres of education, science and culture. As a dynamic institution, it designs multidisciplinary educational programmes that combine fundamental theoretical problems with real-world, practical application. Famous Graduates The discoveries and achievements of the University professors and graduates have shaped the history of both international and Russian science and technology. The University is proud to be home to 9 Nobel prize winners in Physiology, Medicine, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Literature as well as Fields Medal and Shaw Prize winners. Moreover, two presidents of the Russian Federation and six government leaders graduated from SPbU. International Students Each year, ~ 5,000 international students from 100+ countries study in SPbU. They are offered a choice from 7 double degree programmes, as well as 500+ programmes of Bachelor, Master and PhD levels taught in Russian. Today SPbU is the most popular university in Russia among foreign applicants. International students can apply for the Russian Federation government-funded places (full coverage of tuition fees and monthly allowance) or self-finance their studies. International Cooperation SPbU maintains strong partnerships with 590 partners in 80 countries worldwide. The University enables communication among SPbU alumni worldwide by offering participation in SPbU alumni clubs located in various countries, such as the Mongolian Association of SPbU Alumni, the Association of Chinese Students and Alumni of SPbU, and the Alumni Club in Thailand. Additionally, a system of cooperation with Alumni Associations of Russian and Soviet Union Universities in over 45 countries is being developed. Within this system, clubs for SPbU alumni are established based on these organizations: collaborations are being established with various alumni associations such as the Association of Russian and Soviet Alumni in Senegal, the Association of Russian and CIS Alumni in Israel, the Mauritius-Russian Friendship and Cultural Cooperation Organisation (MAURUSS), the Morocco-Russia Friendship Society, the Association of Haitian Alumni of the Russian Federation and the former USSR, the Association of Russian (Soviet) Alumni of Uzbekistan, etc. The University makes it easy to connect with the whole world by offering the opportunity to participate in the activities of Representative offices in China, Republic of Korea, Spain, Italy, Greece, Iran, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Belarus. The University also has two branches in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Cairo (Egypt) and joint campus in China in partnership with Harbin Institute of Technology. Global careers St Petersburg University educational programmes are relevant for the challenges and opportunities of the global labour market, and SPbU alumni are able to take on competitive positions in a multicultural work environment. The University has more than 1600+ long-term cooperation agreements with international companies such as Huawei, Haier, Schumberger, Baltic Perl, etc. and leading Russian companies Yandex, VK, Rosatom, MTS, and many others. St Petersburg University partner organizations offer internships for students, deliver expert lectures, take part in career activities (SPbU Career Days, career master classes, business games, company visits), take part in the development and assessment of study programmes. Online Learning St Petersburg State University is a leader in online education in Russia and is actively developing its online-learning opportunities. By now, it has launched more than 500 online courses in Russian, English, and Chinese. The courses are implemented on various educational online platforms, including the largest Chinese educational platform XuetangX and the Open Education platform, where SPbU ranks first in terms of the number of online courses and online programmes. Also, St. Petersburg University is the only Russian university that is a co-founder of the Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance. Research SPbU scientists conduct research in almost all fields of knowledge, provide expertise and consulting, and enjoy close ties with Russian and International partners. The research findings are published in high-impact international journals. Priority research areas: ● nanotechnology and materials science ● biomedicine and personalized health care ● information systems, IT technology and artificial intelligence ● ecology and nature management ● social research and technologies ● human resource management and technologies ● quantum technologies research ● agrobiotechnologies SPbU has cutting-edge research facilities — a state-of-the-art Research Park with 22 resource centers, where the most advanced research equipment is concentrated. SPbU scientists receive on regular basis research grants in different fields of science, including interdisciplinary projects. SPbU participates in the implementation of the Russian Federation National projects activities: in particular, Leading engineering school, Artificial Intelligence Center, Mega-Laboratories, World-Class research centers are established here. SPbU students can carry out research in numerous laboratories under the leadership of prominent SPbU scholars and make use of vast scientific collections of the University. M. Gorky Scientific Library of SPbU SPbU Library is one of the oldest and largest university libraries in Russia. The collection dates back to 1783 featuring now over 7 million depository items in stock including 72,000 rare books. More than 126 million full-text sources can be accessed online. SPbU students and staff can benefit from the University library subscription to ~ 55,000 leading scientific journals. Student life University life is vibrant and diverse. Every year, the University holds over 700 student events, celebrations, conferences, and competitions. Start-up SPbU programme gives students a great opportunity to have a try at research-intensive entrepreneurial projects and win a 1 000 000 rubles grant for bringing them to life. Students from other countries are welcome to join the International Students’ Club. The Club is an opportunity to meet fellow students, learn more about Russia and its culture, exchange experience, get help and advice. Students are invited to practice up to 22 kinds of sport on 21 University venues. The University teams take part in Russian and international sporting events, win various awards and prizes. St Petersburg University Museums SPbU is more than just a university, it is a true centre of culture and enlightenment. It is home to 10 museums holding a joint collection of 3 million items, which is comparable to collection funds of the largest federal museums in Russia. SPbU museum expositions are widely used for research purposes and serve as study material in course of educational programmes. St Petersburg University operates the following museums: SPbU History Museum, D.I. Mendeleev Museum-Archive, V.V. Nabokov Museum, S.P Dyagilev Museum of ContemporaryArt, History of Physics and Practical Mechanics department, Mineralogical Museum, Paleontological Stratigraphic Museum, Petrographic Museum, Paleontological Museum, Herbarium.