Russia seeks to curb multiple university applications with upfront payment rule

Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education has proposed requiring applicants seeking fee-paying university places to pay tuition for at least one semester before enrolment, aiming to prevent candidates from reserving places at multiple institutions during admissions.

The proposal is part of a draft order amending the country’s university admissions procedures. If adopted, the changes would take effect on March 1, 2027, according to Russian media reports published on Oct 15.

Under the proposed rules, applicants would need to sign an education contract and pay for at least one semester to secure a fee-paying place.

Current admissions rules do not make advance tuition payment a compulsory condition for enrolment, allowing applicants to sign contracts with several universities while deciding where to study.

The ministry said the change was intended to address what it described as a “virtual competition” for paid places. When applicants reserve seats at multiple institutions, those places may remain unavailable to other candidates during the admissions process.

“Advance payment will commit applicants to their choice and make the admissions process for tuition-paying students clearer and fairer for everyone involved,” the ministry said, as reported by Russian media.

The draft also proposes allowing students to pay tuition using maternity capital funds or an educational loan.

Wider changes to paid university admissions

The proposed advance-payment requirement comes amid broader efforts by Russian authorities to regulate fee-paying higher education.

The government, the education ministry and the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science are also developing measures to strengthen oversight of private universities.

Separately, the ministry has reduced the number of fee-paying places in certain fields of study. However, the upfront-payment proposal and the restrictions on paid places are separate measures within the wider effort to change university admissions.

Russian Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov said universities had reduced fee-paying seats by 97,000 across 40 fields of study over the past year.

Under government-approved rules, universities face limits on the number of students they can admit to paid programmes in specified disciplines. The restrictions do not cover every university course; they apply to fields included in the government's designated list.