How to Verify Russian University Degrees: Rosobrnadzor and FGOS Guide

Russia's higher education system

Russia's higher education is overseen by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and regulated by Rosobrnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision in Education). Russia has over 700 higher education institutions, including federal universities, national research universities, and private institutions.

All programs must comply with FGOS (Federal State Educational Standards). Russia adopted a Bologna-compatible system in 2003, though some traditional specialist programs remain.

Verification steps

1. Check Rosobrnadzor licensing — Verify the institution has a valid license and state accreditation. VerifyED includes licensed Russian institutions.
2. FIS FRDO — Russia's Federal Register of Education Documents allows online verification of diplomas issued after 2013.
3. Contact the institution — Russian universities maintain uchebnyy otdel (academic departments) for verification.
4. ENIC-NARIC Russia — Provides credential evaluation through the Main State Expert Centre (Glavexpertcentr).

Degree types

• Bakalavr (4 years) — Bachelor's degree, equivalent to Western bachelor's.
• Magistr (2 years) — Master's degree after bakalavr.
• Specialist (5-6 years) — Traditional Russian degree still used in some fields (medicine, engineering). Roughly equivalent to an integrated master's.
• Kandidat nauk / Doktor nauk — Research degrees. Kandidat nauk is roughly equivalent to a PhD; Doktor nauk is a higher doctorate.