For more than 290 years, St. Petersburg University has been committed to advancing science, generating knowledge and training outstanding professionals. The University is rich in history – it dates back to 1724, when Peter the Great founded the Academy of Sciences and Arts as well as the first Academic University in Russia.
In November 2009, President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev signed a law granting St. Petersburg University and Moscow State University the special status of ‘unique scientific and educational complexes, the oldest institutions of higher education in Russia being of great importance to the development of the Russian society’. SPbU was granted a privilege to set its own educational standards and award its own diplomas.