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Illustration: Historic building, 9 Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya Street — Kutafin Moscow State Law University, Moscow
Illustration by ATHAR after a photo by Gennady Grachev from Moscow, Russia · CC BY 2.0 Details

Athar University Guide Moscow

Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL)

Университет имени О.Е. Кутафина (МГЮА)جامعة كوتافين الحكومية للقانون بموسكو

The English site says the university runs pre-university, secondary vocational, higher and additional programmes and has graduated over 180,000 legal specialists.

Official website
msal.ru

At a glance

City
The university is in Moscow, at 9/1 Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya St. (Presnensky district).
Levels of study
The English site lists: Bachelor of Laws (4 years), Master of Laws LL.M. (2 years), PhD in Legal Sciences (3–5 years) and an International Law Program (2 years).
Housing
The Dormitory Directorate runs four university dormitories in Moscow (including Volokolamskoye Hwy 88, Bataysky Pr. 29, 2nd Donskoy Pr. 7 and Yablochkova St. 5), with rooms for one to five people.
Preparatory year
The university offers an additional 'Russian as a Foreign Language' programme for complete beginners and for preparation for law studies, including legal vocabulary, taught intensively; enrolment runs until 1 October each year.
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Status
The university is a federal state autonomous institution of higher education specialising in law; its founder is the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
Campuses
The university has three branch institutes: Volga-Vyatka Institute, North-West Institute (Vologda) and Orenburg Institute.

About the university

  • According to the official information page, the university was founded on 1 June 1931.

Sources · 24 October 2026

From the university's official website (24 October 2026) — check it there before you apply.

Fields and faculties

  • Institutes appearing in the 2026/27 fee order:

    • International Law Institute
    • Institute of Public Law and Administration
    • Institute of Private Law
    • Institute of Business Law
    • Institute of Legal Consulting
    and 4 more
    • Higher School of Law
    • Institute of the Prosecutor's Office
    • Institute of Forensic Expertise
    • N.S. Kiseleva College of Law

Programmes and language of study

  • Bachelor's and specialist programmesBachelor'sSpecialist degree

    Applicants may compete in up to four fields: Jurisprudence (40.03.01, profiles Jurisprudence and Innovative Jurisprudence), Legal Support of National Security, Forensic Expertise, and Judicial and Prosecutorial Activity.

Admission for international students

  • 2026/27for international students

    Admission routes for foreigners in 2026: the Russian Government quota for bachelor's, master's and postgraduate study (via the Rossotrudnichestvo office in the home country), budget places under international agreements or for compatriots, or a paid contract.

  • Paid-contract admission2026/27for international students

    Paid-contract admission to bachelor's, specialist, master's, postgraduate and the Russian as a Foreign Language programme started on 20 June 2026.

  • Bachelor's and specialist programmesBachelor'sSpecialist degree2026/27

    2026 admission stages: documents for budget places 20.06–25.07.2026, for contract places 20.06–10.08.2026, entrance exams 6–25 July 2026, campaign end 20.08.2026; a separate exam schedule exists for foreigners (paid basis).

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  • for international students

    Documents required from foreign applicants:

    • Passport with a notarised Russian translation
    • Previous education document with grades and notarised translation; an equivalence document from Glavexpertcentre for many countries
    • Matte 3×4 photos
    • Medical certificates (086-u, vaccinations, HIV/RW/hepatitis B tests), presented on arrival
    • Medical insurance policy (issued in Moscow, or at home for at least 1 year)

Tuition fees

Each amount is published for a specific programme or group of programmes — not necessarily the university's fees overall. Each academic year is shown separately.

ProgrammeYearFee
Bachelor's (3) 2026/27 500,000–700,000 RUB per year
Master's (2) 2026/27 460,000–600,000 RUB per year

Examples

Bachelor of Jurisprudence – International Law (full-time) Bachelor's · 2026/27

560,000 RUB per year

First-year 2026/27 fee for the Jurisprudence bachelor's, International Law profile (International Law Institute, full-time, 4 years): 560,000 RUB (2,240,000 in total); the order sets fees for all entrants, not specifically for foreigners.

Master of International Business Law / Master of International Tax Law Master's · 2026/27

600,000 RUB per year

First-year 2026/27 fee for the 'Master of International Business Law' and 'Master of International Tax Law' (full-time, 2 years): 600,000 RUB each (1,200,000 in total).

Show all published fees (5)

Bachelor's · 2026/27

International Business Law (bachelor's, full-time) Bachelor's · 2026/27

700,000 RUB per year

First-year 2026/27 fee for the 'International Business Law' bachelor's (full-time, 4 years): 700,000 RUB (2,800,000 in total).

Jurisprudence bachelor's (full-time) Bachelor's · 2026/27

500,000–700,000 RUB per year

First-year 2026/27 fees for full-time bachelor's profiles range from 500,000 to 700,000 RUB (part-time evening study 400,000 RUB).

Master's · 2026/27

Full-time master's programmes Master's · 2026/27

460,000–600,000 RUB per year

First-year 2026/27 fees for full-time master's programmes range from 460,000 to 600,000 RUB depending on the programme.

Student housing

  • for international students

    Foreign full-time budget-funded bachelor's/specialist students and preparatory-department students are housed by an order granting a place; a prior medical check and copies of passport, migration card and registration are needed.

Practical information

  • for international students

    For applicants from visa countries the university issues an official invitation for a study visa at the Russian consulate; quota students submit documents only with a Ministry referral.

  • The site has an English version (msal.ru/en) and a Chinese version; the admissions e-mail given there is [email protected].

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  • for international students

    Full-time and part-time students need a health insurance policy, issued in Moscow; a policy bought at home (for at least 1 year) must name the Moscow medical facilities that will provide care. Medical certificates (form 086/u, vaccination certificate for measles, diphtheria and tuberculosis, blood tests for HIV, syphilis (RW) and hepatitis B) are presented on entry to Russia.

  • for international students

    The foreign-citizens page of the International Cooperation Department gives its mailbox: [email protected].

Not published yet

We searched the official pages and did not find clear information on: scholarships and opportunities. We never fill in numbers or dates ourselves.

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Other official sources

Other official pages of the university (8)

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