2015 Admission Campaign Launched

It is the first time that University Admission Rules and information specifying the number of available budget-financed positions for future students, as well as the list of entrance examinations, have been published before the new calendar year. There are numerous changes that concern various aspects of the 2015 Admission Campaign. In particular, last year future students had to take four entrance examinations to those specialties where creative or professional exams were required; now the number of entrance exams for all the specialties is equal – three exams must be passed. In some cases, the list of required entrance examinations has changed, as well as the minimal scores; that is why it is necessary to study the corresponding documents before deciding what discipline you should choose to take a Unified State Exam, and you have to prepare for your USE in that discipline in advance. What deserves special attention is the fact that now anyone who graduated from a high school before 2009 must take Unified State Exams to be admitted to the University – just as any younger high school graduate.

According to Dr. Tovarnichenko, the most serious change is related to future students’ individual achievements to be taken into account. “If individual achievements were just an advantage last year, and they were taken into account only in case several entrants gained the same scores”, she explains, “Now anyone who has such achievements shall get extra scores”. The maximal number of “bonuses” may make up to 10 points, in accordance with the official procedure of scoring individual achievements: 1 point – for achievements in sports (no matter how many achievements this or that future student has); 5 points – for a cum laude certificate of secondary general education; 4 points – for a victory at a contest and/or at another intellectual and creative contest (if an entrant has a diploma of participation in such contests, they shall get 2 points).

An essential new feature introduced upon the Russian President’s initiative is the final essay to be checked up by teachers of the Russian language of the same high school where our future students study. The gained mark (“passed” or “failed”) for the final essay will give legal grounds to permit or not to permit that future student to take the Unified State Exam. Besides, the passed essay will help our future students get up to 10 extra points while entering the University. “This project is still being developed, and most likely, the final essay may be written once again if it’s failed. Essays are to be published on the Official Web Site of the Unified State Exam, but only under restricted access”, Dr. Tovarnichenko says. That’s why, according to the Executive Secretary, high school graduates of past years find themselves in an unfavorable situation; that is why faculty of Astrakhan State University provides detailed explanations for students of secondary professional educational institutions (our potential students) on a regular basis; such people also have the right to write the final essay, to take part in various sports and intellectual contests, thereby increasing their chances to gain extra points to be admitted to our University.

The very process of admission shall be executed another way in 2015. The preferential right to be admitted shall be given to those future students who will submit the original of their secondary education certificates to our University at once. If such entrants gain the maximal scores, they will cover 80 % of budget-financed positions.

Owing to an early publication of information for prospective students, a broadened Day of Open Doors shall be held on November 08, 2014 at Astrakhan State University (Academic Building #5; 2 Konovalova Street). Its program includes a meeting with management of our University, with Deans, and with staff of the Admission Commission, as well as a concert arranged by our students. Everyone is welcome to come.