Konstantin Markelov: “I Suggest That School Leavers Don’t Chill Out and Prepare Actively for Final Exams”

On the threshold of the beginning of an active phase of the 2020 admission campaign, the rector of Astrakhan State University tells prospective students about the major changes that have been introduced into the traditional procedure of admission to the university.

Dear applicants! Admission to Astrakhan State University for higher education programmes is starting soon. This year, the admission campaign is undergoing some changes due to the situation in the country. I’m going to tell you about the most important ones.

According to the order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the whole admission campaign of 2020 is being held online. Documents for the programmes of higher education are to be submitted only electronically. It means that you don’t need to come to university.

In order to organize the distant submission of documents, an applicant’s account will be available on the website of Astrakhan State University. Those who wish to enter ASU will have to register there, writing their full name and e-mail address. They will receive an e-mail with the log-in and password that will be used to authorize and submit the documents. The list of necessary documents, samples of application forms and instructions on how to fill them in will be also available in the personal account. Step-by-step instructions on document submission for each level of education will be available on the university website. Members of the Admissions Office are ready to provide consultations on any applicants’ question, see the phone numbers for enquiries on the ASU website.

1,793 state-funded places have been allocated for Astrakhan State University for the 2020/2021 academic year. 1,676 of them are meant for Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes, including 949 for the intramural form of study, 185 for the mixed (intramural and extramural) form of study and 542 for the extramural form of study. 12 state-funded places were allocated for Ph.D. programmes for training academic staff. 105 state-funded places were allocated for vocational programmes of the ASU College (last year, the figures were as follows: 1,692 state-funded places for Bachelor and Master’s degree programmes, 7 — for Ph.D. programmes, 105 — for the college, 1,804 in all).

Despite the information being spread these days that some types of the unified state examination have been cancelled, I’d like to stress that this year school leavers, like it has always been, enter the universities of our country only upon results of the unified state examination. I remind that the final exam in Russian is obligatory for all applicants, while the specialized level of the final exam in Maths in necessary only for those who have opted for the programmes that have mathematics as an entrance examination. In June, it is planned to approve documents on the procedure and timeline of holding the unified state examination; meanwhile, I suggest that school leavers don’t chill out and prepare actively for the final exams they’ve chosen.

Graduates of colleges, foreign citizens, those who’re going to enter Master’s degree programmes and some other social categories may enter the universities upon results of the admission exams, organized by the university. For them, the admission examinations will be organized distantly. Applicants for the Bachelor and Specialist’s degree programmes take their admission exams on Moodle platform, using Examus online monitoring system. Admission examinations in the form of an interview will be held with the use of ZOOM. Instructions on passing entrance examinations have been worked out for all the applicants. These instructions will be available in the applicant’s account on the university website. Programmes of the admission examinations are also available on the university website in section “2020 Admission Campaign”. All applicants can read them and get ready for their admission exams.

I wish everyone luck!