How to enter a university? Entering a university without the Unified State Exam: advice for applicants. Secrets of successful university admission

Instructions

Having set the goal of enrolling in a university, first of all understand for yourself: are you ready to study in the commercial department or is it fundamentally important for you to take a budget place. The issue of distributing your personal funds is as important as, in fact, choosing your alma mater. Many people chase diplomas from prestigious universities only because of their illusions of a future luxurious life. Alas, the crust itself is not important, because there are a lot of unemployed people who have a treasured little book with the inscription “MSU”, which never helped them. Adequately assess your capabilities, both financial and mental.

After reflecting on the topic of your own viability in this world, still choose a university. It’s better if you have already decided on your desired profession, then it will be much easier for you. But, unfortunately, in practice, those who have decided are not so common. So, university.
First: metropolitan/provincial. Are you a resident of a certain region who is very successful in studying certain subjects and wants to build a career? Try one of the capital's universities. If you are a solid person with a somewhat IQ, you can, of course, try to conquer Moscow or St. Petersburg, but you are unlikely to get into the most prestigious universities, like Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University (but! You can try). But you can safely enter the main university of your city or the capital of your region. If you are not included in any of the described categories, but have a tight wallet, do what you want! If you are sure that you need any diplomas at all. If finances are very limited, try a local university or.
Choosing the right educational institution is halfway to enrollment.

With the options for paid education, everything is more or less clear. As a rule, you can get into the commercial department of provincial universities with C grades in your certificate, and entrance tests are just a formality. For those who are ready to enroll in commerce at a very prestigious university, they will still have to prepare. Choose a specialty. Often, in addition to the Unified State Exam, such institutions also have their own exams: interviews, creative competitions. Find out about them from students at your chosen university. And spend a lot of time preparing for your chosen subjects.

Those who are going to go on a budget at all costs will have to sweat the most. Those who persist will need to arm themselves not only with knowledge of their chosen specialty, but also with knowledge of local customs. Study the competition for your course in previous years (number of budget places, number of people willing to enroll, procedure for entrance examinations, etc.). If in your field, in addition to the Unified State Exam, you need to pass an interview or some kind of creative competition, focus on preparing for them. It is important to remember two things here: a) persistence will lead to the goal; b) there must be a sober assessment of possibilities. If you are of a - mentality, do not enroll in the history department without careful consideration. Look into the future: perhaps you will be more useful to the world in your capacity, and keep history as a hobby. A person who finds himself in the wrong place spends too much energy even for small victories, and is very often internally unhappy. Be in your place, don’t chase status (and a “cool” diploma). Work hard. Perhaps among your competitors for admission there are no more than 10%, the rest is hard work, “upgrading” knowledge and skills. Keep up with them and you will be the first among them.

In the near future, 11th-graders will have to decide how many and which Unified State Examinations they will write in addition to the compulsory mathematics and Russian language tests, as well as in which Olympiads to participate.

According to the Ministry of Education and Science, today up to 80% of school graduates become students. This is a gratifying statistic, especially since during Soviet times this figure rarely exceeded 20%. Don't rush to rejoice! Most students enroll in paid places. How to become a student for free?

The first way. Unified State Exam

The most common option. Based on the results of the Unified State Exam, up to 80% of students are admitted.

pros

Equal opportunities for all applicants, especially if next year they take into account all the scandals and exclude the use of mobile phones, tips from tutors and the replacement of schoolchildren with students.

Previously, to enroll, you had to study at preparatory departments at institutes or look for a tutor from there. This required huge financial investments. According to experts, today this path is pointless. No matter how much universities claim otherwise, they cannot give any concessions for admission.

In the 11th grade, you can already focus on those subjects that are necessary for admission.

Minuses

The student must clearly understand where he wants to go in the fall. If you do not submit an application to participate in the Unified State Exam in a particular subject on time, it is very difficult to change the list, and since the end of winter it has been completely impossible.

The difficulty level of the Unified State Exam varies from year to year. In 2010, admission to a decent university was guaranteed by 75 points out of 100; in 2011, you had to score at least 85.

Second way. Olympics

Today - the presence of a diploma of an Olympiad winner, which is included in the list of Olympiads for schoolchildren approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

They include almost 80 tests conducted by different universities across the country.

pros

Several dozen schoolchildren are announced as winners in each.

The diploma (depending on the level of the Olympiad) guarantees, if not admission without competition, then exactly 100 points in the subject, and this is guaranteed admission. You can participate in the Olympiads yourself, but candidates for the All-Russian Olympiad are nominated through the school. Moreover, in most Olympiads, the first round does not require presence at the university: assignments are sent via the Internet. There are very complex Olympiads like the emge "Lomonosov", and there are also quite real ones, say, which are held by the Moscow State Pedagogical University.

Minuses

Registration for participation in the Olympiad usually takes one to a maximum of two months. Missed it and the opportunity to participate was lost.

Only schoolchildren can enter through the Olympiads. Technical school students - those who were unable to enroll this year - are deprived of this right.

Our Internet sites are mostly poorly debugged. Let's say, last year, during the Olympiad, which was held by one of the leading universities in Russia, there was a technical failure, because of which the site froze and many were simply unable to send their answers.

The Olympics are a corruption-intensive way to enter. In the correspondence course, their tutors often answer instead of students, and in some universities diplomas of prize-winners are sold.

This year, up to 10-15% of places in the country's elite universities went to people with disabilities and special needs.

At least here people with disabilities do not feel like second-class citizens.

Unfortunately, a considerable part of the admitted students bought fake documents from VTEKs.

We have collected for you all the useful information about admission that will help you achieve what you want without unnecessary worries and confusion with documents.

1. Decide on your future profession and direction of training

Start preparing for admission with. Consider not only your desires, but also your abilities. Determine what is better for you: the humanities or the exact sciences. Only after this start choosing items that need attention.

2. Select universities and take the Unified State Exam

Find universities where you can study your chosen profession. Carefully study the admission rules and competitive scores. Afterwards you will need to pass the compulsory and core subjects. Compulsory subjects include Russian language and mathematics. Core subjects are those subjects that are needed for admission to a specific specialty; you choose them yourself. It can be:

chemistry;
story;
physics;
biology;
Informatics;
geography;
social science;
literature;
foreign language (English, German, Spanish, French).

Since 2017, mathematics can be taken in the basic or specialized version. If you need mathematics for admission, choose a specialized level.

Some universities arrange additional entrance exams or interviews. Most often they are needed for admission to creative specialties: design, journalism, etc.

Our advice: if you have not yet fully decided on a university and profession, choose “universal” subjects to take the Unified State Exam, which are suitable for several specialties in different universities. We decided to analyze the entrance exams to the top 100 universities in Russia and found that most often specialized mathematics, social studies and physics are required for admission.

All universities hold open days before the start of the admission campaign. At these events, you will be able to get to know the institution from the inside, study in detail the rules for accepting documents, and ask questions to members of the admissions committee. The date of the event can be found on the official website of the university.

You can also , which will help you understand all the intricacies of admission.

Follow the schedule of events

4. Select a document submission method

Your personal presence is not always necessary to submit documents. Most universities allow you to send documents by registered mail or electronically.

Read more about remote admission in our article “”.

5. Create your applicant calendar

In order not to get confused about deadlines and dates, and not to be late with submitting documents, create an applicant calendar for 2018 for yourself. Mark all the most important dates in it. Start with the basics:

June 20 - start of accepting documents;
July 26 - end of acceptance of documents, end of entrance examinations;
July 27 - posting the list of applicants on the university website or the admissions committee stand;
July 28 is the last day for accepting applications for consent to enrollment.

Don’t forget to note the start and end dates for additional entrance tests at your university, if any. You can find information about them and other events important for your specialty on the university’s website or in the applicant’s personal account (if you have registered on the educational institution’s website).

If you need to undergo a medical commission, this can be done at any public clinic or licensed private center. The certificate is valid for 6 months.

Don't forget that the university may award you points for individual achievements.

7. Submit copies to several universities

According to the rules for admission to universities, you have the right to submit documents to 5 educational institutions at once, for 3 specialties in each. When submitting applications to several universities at once, you have the right to provide copies of documents. We recommend making at least 15 copies. An exception is documents confirming your special rights to enrollment. You must provide their originals when submitting documents for a priority specialty.

That is, if you have special enrollment rights, you will only be able to use them at one institution.

8. Follow competition lists

Lists of applicants are published on the university website. Last names are indicated in descending order of competition points. The higher your last name, the greater your chances of enrollment.

9. Take the originals to your dream university

You need to submit the originals of all documents within the deadlines established by the university. Before the end of this period, you must decide on the choice of educational institution.

Of course, the most important conditions for admission are your knowledge and academic success. But don’t forget about organizational issues. Don't leave everything until the last minute. Start preparing for admission as early as possible: take part in olympiads and scientific competitions, earn extra points, prepare for the Unified State Exam - and you will succeed.

Eleven school years fly by quickly, so you should decide on the choice of profession and the university where you can get it as early as possible. Of course, you need to make a decision about the direction of movement along the path of building a career, based primarily on your own preferences, abilities and inclinations for a particular job. But so that acquiring a profession does not take too much time and effort, and after graduating from a university you do not end up out of work, you will have to take into account the features of the modern education system and labor market conditions.

When should you think about choosing a profession?

Many schoolchildren and their parents postpone the decision about options for obtaining a certain specialty until the last moment - that is, before the start of their studies in the 11th grade. This approach to your own future is not the most balanced and rational. It is much more practical to think in advance what is the priority: to obtain a sought-after profession in four years and immediately enter the labor market or to stretch out your studies at a university for at least six years. In any case, the fundamental choice is made in 9th grade.

Option #1

If the first path is planned, then it is not necessary to continue studying at school: colleges and technical schools have already ceased to be considered sharashka offices for losers. Today, secondary vocational education, especially obtained in colleges that are part of universities, can be considered as the first step towards a bachelor's degree. The lion's share of graduates of colleges at universities and institutes, having already acquired a popular specialty, enters a basic university and continues their free studies in order to obtain higher education through accelerated programs.

The period of study in universities for holders of secondary vocational education is reduced due to the re-crediting of some general education or even special disciplines already completed in college. A college diploma gives the graduate the right to apply for budget-funded places in any specialized universities corresponding to the previous field of study. However, it is not necessary to pass: applicants with secondary vocational education are admitted based on the results of internal testing or an interview.

Colleges at Moscow universities

In total, there are 45 colleges in Moscow, part of the structure of various leading universities - such as MEPhI, VGIK, MGHPA im. Stroganov. Admission to these prestigious colleges takes place without exams - based on certificate scores, and graduates of a “sponsored” secondary specialized educational institution enjoy preferential rights when enrolling in the first year of a flagship university. After graduating from college, you can already begin to build a career while your former classmates are still entering their third year at a university or institute, and at the same time receive a higher education through evening or correspondence courses.

Option No. 2

Purposeful movement along the second path of a long-term educational trajectory must also begin in the ninth grade - with maximum awareness in high school. Most secondary educational institutions (and not only lyceums and gymnasiums) enroll specialized tenth grades, the programs of which are focused on preparation for passing certain Unified State Examination disciplines necessary for admission to various faculties or even specialties in higher educational institutions.

FIPI (Federal Institute of Pedagogical Measurements) recommended using the results of the OGE, which ends studies in primary school, to fill such specialized classes. Two subjects (Russian and mathematics) at the state exam are required for everyone, two more - the graduate chooses at his own discretion. It is clear that in order to continue studying, for example, in a medical class, you need to choose chemistry and biology to pass the GIA-9, and those who want to become journalists after school cannot do without the results of the literature exam.

The final decision on choosing a profession and, accordingly, the direction of study at a university must be made at the beginning of the 11th grade: applications for participation in the Unified State Exam are written in the fall. You must decide on the items to be submitted before February 1st; after this deadline, nothing can be changed. If the choice of disciplines is made thoughtlessly, then the exams required for admission to a particular university will not be able to be passed in the current academic year, which significantly reduces the number of possible study options: documents can be submitted to five higher education organizations for three different programs.

The choice of subjects for taking the Unified State Exam should be based on the university’s requirements for applicants to specific specialties or areas. You can find out all the necessary information on the websites of universities and institutes - all higher education institutions in the country are required to post on the Internet, by October 1, the admission rules for the current academic year and the list of disciplines for admission to each program.

How to choose a university

Everyone has their own criteria for choosing a future alma mater. Some prefer the university located closest to home, others are aimed at entering the first institute they come across with little competition for budget places, others dream of becoming a student at a specific flagship of academic science, and for others it is important to get a certain profession - and it doesn’t matter what the name of the university is written on the diploma.

The first three approaches do not require much thought, the fourth involves serious analytics before making a final decision. “Your own investigation” is best done with a few important points in mind.

Prospects after graduation

They are best assessed by answering the question “What will happen after graduation?” Information about the employment of graduates or about partner employers, which many universities publish on their websites, will help you figure this out. The Ministry of Education and Science also conducts consolidated monitoring of educational institutions. In the “Organizations” section there is a “Universities” tab, and in it there is “Dynamics”.

Having studied it, you can with a high degree of probability predict the chances of your own employment after graduating from a particular university.

A good source of information for thought will be the salary ratings of young specialists who graduated from Russian universities. For example, an IT specialist with a diploma from Astrakhan or Tula University will be able to apply for a salary of 74 thousand in Moscow, and with a diploma from MIPT - 150 thousand. But then, perhaps, the main technical institute of the country is at level 95, and you can enter the Astrakhan or Tula university for the same specialty as in the capital with 63 points scored for each of the Unified State Exam subjects.

Possibility of targeted reception

It is directly related to job prospects. implies a conscious choice by the applicant not only of the field of future work or a specific profession, but also of the enterprise where he will work. Admission to a university on the recommendation of a company involves concluding an agreement with it, according to which the student undertakes to study well, and after completing his studies, work for at least three years at the enterprise that paid for his education.

If we take into account that targeted directions can only be issued by state corporations and organizations whose authorized capital contains funds from the federal budget, then the obligation for a decent remuneration to devote several years of life to the success and prosperity of, for example, Gazprom or Rosatom, will not seem slavery in the galleys. By the way, large state-owned enterprises prefer to place orders for training their future employees at the best universities in the country, such as Moscow State University, Sechenov Medical University, Baumanka, Higher School of Economics, Tomsk Polytechnic, Gubkin Russian State University, St. Petersburg State University of Economics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, RUDN, MAI.

RIA Novosti infographics, data from the 2017 admissions campaign.

When deciding to take a targeted direction at a university, you must keep in mind that state corporations place orders for training mainly in specialty programs, that is, the study will last 5 years. But this fact can also be considered as a plus: a bachelor’s degree, which is obtained after four years of study, does not give the right to occupy leadership positions, for example, head of a department. In order to move up the career ladder in the future, you will have to spend another two years studying for a master's degree, but before that you will have to relive the admission process: take exams and participate in the qualifying competition.

Passing scores

Data on the average passing scores at the chosen university will help you assess your chances of admission. Most educational institutions on their websites, in sections under names like “Applicants,” inform not only about the admission rules, but also about the Unified State Exam scores, which last year were enough to become a freshman.

If the necessary information is not available on the website, you can find it on the Ministry of Education and Science service “Do the right thing.” The ministry takes the data for filling it out from reports that universities are required to send to officials at the end of each admissions campaign in order to report on the quality of education.

In general, the level of passing scores is stable and predictable: in order to enter prestigious metropolitan institutes and universities, you need to pass the Unified State Exam with an average of 80 points (for technical specialties - 70), and regional universities are accepted with results of 53-65.

Number of budget places

Exactly how many students will study at state expense in each university or institute is decided by the Ministry of Education and Science, based on the federal standard, according to which 800 budget-funded places should be allocated in universities for every 10,000 population aged 17-30. The size of the quota for a particular educational institution depends on several factors, and the prestige of the university is not the last place on their list.

In general, the distribution of free places occurs according to the following scheme. Regional employment centers and large employers send reports to the Ministry (now of higher education) with information about how many and what kind of professionals they lack. Also, university associations share their opinions with the Ministry of Education and Science about which specialties it is necessary to accept “budget” applicants for. The final distribution of quotas for areas of training is made after agreement with the relevant ministries (for example, with the Ministry of Energy or the Ministry of Health) and the founders of leading educational institutions, for example, with the Government of the Russian Federation, which by law is considered the founder of Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University.

So, if the Ministry of Education and Science declares that the country does not need new lawyers and economists now, but employers are lining up for programmers, agronomists and engineers, then this information should definitely be taken into account. For an applicant, it means that the chance to study programming or agricultural sciences at a university at public expense is quite large, but the state does not intend to finance the general craving for knowledge in jurisprudence among applicants.

The Ministry of Education and Science is quite consistent in its statements and actions. Having predicted a shortage for engineers, nuclear power engineers, IT specialists, teachers, rocket, aircraft and shipbuilders, the ministry has been reducing the number of free places in economic and legal fields for several years in a row, redistributing quotas in favor of engineering and teaching specialties.

All universities are required to publish information on the number of places allocated for admission to free education on their websites before June 1.

Contest

It directly depends on the number of free places. If there are few of them, and there are many who want to enroll, the competition will be serious. But an unambiguous connection between the competition and passing scores is not always visible. For example, this year there were a little more than 7 applicants for one budget place at Moscow State University (on average for all faculties), and at the Medical Institute of Belgorod University there were almost twice as many: 16. It’s hard to believe, but the competition for the field of “pediatrics” at BelSU there were 111 people (before the publication of the ranking of applicants it was 150).

At the same time, the average passing score at Moscow State University is 86, and at the BelSU Medical Institute - 77. Most likely, the fact is that the higher the average Unified State Exam results of applicants, the fewer people want to compete for a budget place: after all, everyone knows that documents for top-brand universities Only strong applicants apply, with whom it is not easy to compete.

In addition, the competition is greatly influenced by market fluctuations and tactical maneuvers of applicants for admission. It happens that applicants see that too many applications have been submitted for one of the popular specialties, while for other profiles there is no full house, or even a shortage. As a result, on the last day of accepting documents, all the attention of those who want to enroll in a budget place at any cost switches to the “outsider” specialties of the entrance campaign - and the competition changes dramatically.

In addition, when choosing a university, you should not rely only on competition data, if only because indicators in the same educational institution can vary greatly from year to year. If during the previous admissions campaign there were few candidates for budget-funded places at any institute and this information was taken into account by graduates, then it may turn out that this year there will be an order of magnitude more people wishing to enroll in an “easily accessible” university.

Accreditation

Its availability determines what kind of diplomas the university issues to its graduates - state or its own. Another important point: deferment from the army is provided only to students of accredited programs. You can check the status of a university using the Rosobrnadzor university map or in the register of educational organizations on the website of the federal service.

Forms of higher education

At the same time as choosing a profession and educational institution, you should think about the form of obtaining higher education. Today, there are several options for studying at a university.

Traditional - full-time study at a Russian state university. This is the most common option, does not need any comments, and is suitable for well-prepared applicants who are able to withstand the competition. It’s great if the educational process includes the opportunity to study for two or three months at a foreign university. With a longer period, problems may arise with linking the disciplines studied abroad with the university curriculum. Short-term forms of study abroad can be offered by the university or selected independently. If long-term study is planned, then regulations provide for the opportunity to take academic leave.
Reserve - study at a Russian state university in the evening department. Unfortunately, the part-time form of education for students has recently, in fact, turned into a fallback option for applicants who did not pass the competition for full-time study, although it was originally intended for working youth.
Forced - paid education at a Russian state university. It is preferable when “budget” and “paid” students study in the same groups.
Paid - studying at a Russian non-state university. Many people prefer contractual studies at a public university to contractual education at a private university. This is usually due to the lack of “name” and work experience of private educational institutions. However, the differences are gradually disappearing, such universities are gaining experience (there are already positive examples), and most of them have already received state accreditation.
Foreign - studying abroad. Foreign universities have specialties that are not available at home; in European, Asian or American universities you can gain a lot of new knowledge, but there can also be many problems associated with such training.
Joint - training in special programs at a Russian university. In this case, the academic plan provides for a certain period of study abroad, and graduates receive.

Paid training

Most state universities admit students to study both on a budgetary and paid basis - under contracts. Contract study has several features:

Training can be conducted in special faculties (departments) with their own admission rules, curricula, etc., or contract students are added to regular student groups, and their studies are no different from those of state employees.
The fee can be paid immediately for the entire period of study or divided into parts - for a year, a semester. The amount can be fixed or variable - with the possibility of adjustment (from the point of view of the applicant and his parents, it is more expedient to be fixed, excluding price increases). Often, with a one-time payment for the entire period of study, the university reduces the total cost by 30-40%.
Agreements can be concluded both immediately upon submission of documents, and after the end of admission, when the applicant does not pass the competition for places of budget funding. In a number of universities, the amount of fees depends on the number of points scored in exams. Some universities enter into contracts before and after entrance examinations at different prices.

Paid admission to universities is not regulated in detail by state standards, so educational institutions independently determine its rules. At one university or institute it is possible to combine different options for contractual admission.

Admission rules and procedure for enrolling in a university

In general, the rules for admission to universities are also regulated by Order No. 1147 of the Ministry of Education and Science. But all educational institutions have the right to establish their own. In general, in any of the universities or institutes it does not contradict federal regulations; the document clarifies only the points relating to:

passing scores for each of the Unified State Exam subjects (they may be higher than those established by the Ministry of Education and Science);
additional entrance exams;
special rights of preferential categories of applicants;
the procedure for recording personal achievements;
concluding agreements on paid training.

The admission rules for a particular university may have some specific requirements for submitted documents, for example, the need to submit a non-standard medical certificate. Carefully study the benefits provided to the winners and participants of competitions and olympiads, graduates of preparatory courses, etc. For applicants claiming special rights upon admission, it is advisable to show the relevant documents to the secretary of the admissions committee or a university lawyer in advance, since cases of incorrect registration of certificates are quite common.

Before demobilization, military personnel must take a reference letter from their military unit, making sure to put a stamp on it. The wording “recommended for admission to a university” is desirable in the text. The name of the university may not be indicated in the document. The certificate from the military unit does not have an expiration date.

Be sure to study the procedure for holding a competition at the university: is it general or separate according to narrow profiles. It is not common, but there is an admission scheme with distribution by specialization in senior years. Some educational institutions, especially those with programs in several related specialties, practice a general competition, in which two scenarios are possible:

First, those who have applied for a certain specialty are enrolled, and if there are free places left, then candidates from other, similar profiles are transferred to them.
All applicants are ranked according to their scores, then distributed according to their specialties. If on some profiles there are more enrolled applicants than there are places, then the “extra” are transferred to where there are vacancies.

University admission campaign deadlines

In fact, admission to a university begins not in the summer, after graduation, but in early December of the current academic year. On one of the days of the first ten days of December (usually the date is set in the period from the 5th to the 20th), all eleventh-graders in Russia write a final essay, the results of which serve as admission to take the Unified State Exam.

Almost two months - from mid-March to early May - are allocated for the early period of the Unified State Examination; the bulk of graduates take the unified state exam from May 20-21 to June 1-3 (the schedule is updated by the Ministry of Education and Science annually). Acceptance of documents to universities begins no later than June 20 and continues until:

July 7 - for those who apply for additional tests of a creative or professional nature;
July 10 - for applicants applying for intra-university exams;
July 26 - for applicants only based on Unified State Exam results.

On July 28-29, non-competitive admission of applicants (olympiad participants, all) and priority admission of applicants and target students takes place;
On July 29, lists of those recommended for enrollment in the first wave are published;
On August 1-3, 80% of the remaining budget places are filled;
On August 6-8, the remaining 20% of free places are distributed in the second wave.

If there are still vacant budget-funded places at the university, then additional admissions will be held from August 15.

Admission to a university involves in the ups and downs of the struggle not only its direct participants, but also a large circle of “fans” discussing issues of the competition, passing grades, etc. In an atmosphere of anxiety, rumors are born, received from the “most reliable” sources. If you have any doubts or a misunderstanding, don’t worry, contact the admissions committee - officials will help you sort it out and give you the necessary advice. Take into account only information received from members of the admissions committee, and not from university employees who have nothing to do with the admissions campaign, and especially from random people.

The availability of budget-funded higher education is annually maintained at the level of 55-57%. In 2018, schools graduated 640 thousand eleventh graders, of which 454 thousand applied for admission to universities. In total, the state paid universities, academies and institutes for the education of 549 thousand students: 312 thousand - in undergraduate programs, 77 thousand - specialist programs, the remaining 160 thousand places are intended for free admission to master's programs (129 thousand), postgraduate programs (15 thousand), residency (15.5 thousand) and assistantship-internship (0.5 thousand). That is, out of 454 thousand graduates, 389 thousand will be able to graduate. This means that if you take a responsible approach to entering a university, decide in advance on the direction of future training and choose to study a specialty that is a priority for the state, for which a large number of quotas are allocated, then your plans to become a student at a budget-funded department of a university or institute will definitely come true.

In Russia, the overwhelming number of high school students, after receiving a school certificate, plan to continue their studies in vocational education programs, and a significant part strives to enter a university, institute or university, counting on the fact that a prestigious and in-demand education will help them build a career and a prosperous destiny.

The choice of university and success in such an event as admission largely determines the future life of young people, so high school students and their parents are ready to make every effort to achieve their cherished goal. A variety of means are used to help increase the likelihood of coveted enrollment in the chosen university:
- classes with tutors in specialized subjects;
- participation in the open day of the desired university;
- participation in competitions and events that provide additional points;
- attending preparatory courses at a potential university.
The last point often gives a real head start in the form of an advantage upon admission or the opportunity to get into the desired field of training without competition - for the most successful cadets. However, there is no better preparation for admission than training yourself in subjects to be taken in the Unified State Exam format, since the number of points scored has a primary impact on the prospect of admission.

Options for entering a university after 9th grade

Some high school students decide to leave school immediately after 9th grade, but it is a mistake to think that the path to higher education is closed for “early” applicants. Young people who did not complete the 10th and 11th grades also have the opportunity to subsequently receive the coveted HE through college. Moreover, when studying in the college-university system based on 9 grades, applicants can enroll in higher education programs without having to take the Unified State Exam, provided they choose a similar specialty. Knowing this, some high school students prefer not to waste time acquiring school knowledge in “unnecessary” subjects and leave the general education institution at the first opportunity to begin acquiring professional skills. This method of obtaining a higher education is suitable for young people who have decided on their future profession earlier than their peers.

Options for entering a university after 11th grade

Enrolling in a university after 11th grade is not difficult for motivated applicants, but there are several options. Studying a bachelor's or specialist's degree program can be either the only link in obtaining higher education or the final link in the college-university chain. And although entering a university after college on the basis of 11 grades does not eliminate the need to present Unified State Exam results to the admissions committee, this strategy is a good option for acquiring two diplomas, and often two professions, because the possibilities for choosing a specialty after college are unlimited.
In any case, preparing for admission requires answering the following questions:
- in which city do I want to study?
- what specialty is closest to the profession of my dreams?
- what are my successes in core subjects?
- Am I ready to go through college or do I want to immediately enroll in a HE program?
- in what format do I plan to receive education?
- Which university offers training in the program I need?
- what are the conditions for admission to a suitable university and the list of required documents?

University or institute? What to choose?

Having decided on the choice of the direction of professional training, the future student must make a choice in favor of a certain university. Education in the desired specialty is offered by educational institutions of various levels - both institutes and universities. What to choose and what's the difference?
As the name of the type of educational institution suggests, a university provides a more universal higher education, i.e. trains specialists of a wide profile. The institute, in turn, has a narrow specialization and trains specialists to work in a specific field of activity - industry, construction, medicine, architecture, psychology.
In addition, universities have a number of differences from institutes, most of which can be called advantages:
- high percentage of teachers with academic degrees (at least 60%);
- availability of postgraduate programs;
- developed opportunities for student research work;
- implementation of educational programs in various formats, including full-time;
- regular introduction of innovations and Internet technologies into the educational process.
Of course, the education received at the university is more valued by employers and provides more prospects both during and after studying. And in this regard, the type of educational institution can be even more important for a subsequent career than the specialty itself.