Kazan Federal University (KFU) is a large state university in Kazan, Russia, founded in 1804 and teaching about 11,500 international students. For 2026/27 General Medicine costs 653,400 RUB a year in English and 524,628 RUB in Russian; you apply online, pass entrance tests (in person for medicine) and pay the first year in full before the visa invitation.
Kazan Federal University is one of the oldest and largest public universities in Russia, founded in 1804 and based in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, about 800 km east of Moscow by road. It teaches almost every field, from medicine to petroleum engineering and IT, mostly in Russian and partly in English. The main building stands on Kremlyovskaya Street in the city centre, a short walk from the Kazan Kremlin.
No. Kazan Federal University (KFU, kpfu.ru) and Kazan State Medical University (KSMU, kazangmu.ru) are two different universities in the same city, with different fees, entrance tests, deadlines and hostels. Both teach General Medicine, so applicants often mix them up.
The confusion has a history. KSMU began in 1814 as the medical faculty of Kazan University and became a separate medical institute in 1930. KFU stopped teaching medicine after that split and brought it back in 2013, inside its Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, which was created in 2012. Before you pay anything, check that the contract, the invoice and the visa invitation all name the university you chose.
International students can choose from almost the full KFU catalogue in Russian, and from a short list of programmes in English. The table shows 2026/27 first-year fees for far-abroad citizens.
| Programme | Language | Fee a year |
|---|---|---|
| General Medicine (6 years) | English | 653,400 RUB (≈ $8,100) |
| General Medicine (6 years) | Russian | 524,628 RUB (≈ $6,510) |
| Dentistry (5 years) | English in years 1–2, then Russian | 653,400 RUB (≈ $8,100) |
| Pharmacy (5 years) | Russian | 365,676 RUB (≈ $4,540) |
| Software Engineering, bachelor's | English | 379,452 RUB (≈ $4,710) |
| Management, bachelor's | English | 396,000 RUB (≈ $4,910) |
| Linguistics, bachelor's | Russian | 348,804 RUB (≈ $4,330) |
| Petroleum Engineering, master's | English | 580,800 RUB (≈ $7,200) |
Read the language line carefully. The English-taught Dentistry programme switches to Russian from the third year, so you need solid Russian by then. General Medicine in English is taught in English for all six years, according to the programme page. English-taught programmes are not eligible for KFU tuition scholarships.
Kazan Federal University fees for international students in 2026/27 range from about 245,000–420,000 RUB a year (≈ $3,040–$5,210) for most bachelor's programmes, and up to 653,400 RUB a year (≈ $8,100) for General Medicine and Dentistry in English. The price for later years is set by a separate order each year and can rise.
The full six-year General Medicine programme in English costs 3,920,400 RUB (≈ $48,600) at 2026/27 prices.
KFU bills in roubles, so your cost in rupees or naira moves with the rate. The figure of about 4,50,000 INR a year (≈ $4,730) in older videos does not match the 2026/27 price list.
The tuition fee covers teaching only. You pay on top for the medical check-up, health insurance, the hostel and daily living. KFU health insurance costs 3,800–4,500 RUB a year (≈ $47–$56) and is compulsory. From 26 July 2026 the state fee for a multiple-entry student visa extension is 6,000 RUB (≈ $74).
Kazan Federal University admission for fee-paying foreign students runs through an online applicant account, entrance tests, a contract and full payment of the first year.
Most KFU entrance tests for foreign students can be taken online, but General Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Clinical Psychology must be taken in person in Russia. For General Medicine in English the tests are Fundamentals of Human Biology and English; for the 2026 intake KFU listed 65 paid places on this programme and no budget places. No language certificate is required: KFU checks your language level during the entrance tests.
September students usually enter Russia from 15 August, with a passport valid at least 18 months after the semester starts. On your first day in Kazan, report to KFU's Adaptation Department for foreign citizens.
You need KFU's preparatory faculty only if you will study in Russian and do not yet speak it well enough to pass the entrance tests. Students on English-taught programmes skip it. The full-time Russian-medium year costs 247,040 RUB (≈ $3,060) for 2026/27 and runs from 7 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, with 2,160 hours of teaching. An online course costs 145,000 RUB (≈ $1,800).
Finishing the preparatory year does not give you a degree place automatically. KFU states that graduates of its preparatory school still take the entrance tests, and only a full preparatory programme counts.
Yes. KFU takes students under the Russian government quota, which pays full tuition and, if needed, the preparatory year. You apply through the official portal education-in-russia.com, not through the university. For the 2027/28 academic year the deadline is 15 January 2027 for applicants outside the CIS, and you can list up to six universities.
The Kazan Federal University hostel for most international students is the Universiade Village, a guarded campus built for the 2013 Summer Universiade. KFU students live in 21 of its buildings, in rooms for 2, 3 or 4 people, each with its own toilet and shower. The site is guarded, with six checkpoints. KFU also runs 10 older dormitories in the city.
First-year students from outside Kazan get a bed if places are available. The KFU page on Study in Russia lists 525 RUB a month (≈ $7) plus a fee for electrical appliances and 500 RUB a month (≈ $6) for internet, but it gives no date and may reflect the rate for state-funded students; ask for the 2026/27 hostel price for contract students in writing. The village is 30 to 40 minutes from the teaching buildings by bus or trolleybus.
Kazan Federal University is ranked 468th in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Times Higher Education places it in the 801–1000 band for 2026, and the Russian Interfax ranking put it 8th in the country in 2025. Its strongest QS subjects are Education and Training (86th) and Petroleum Engineering (51–100); Medicine is in the 651–700 band.
Recognition depends on your home regulator, not on KFU.
Indian students must pass NEET-UG before starting, and India's National Medical Commission (NMC) Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate Regulations 2021 also require at least 54 months of study plus a 12-month internship at the same university, teaching in English throughout and eligibility for a licence in the country of study. Ask KFU in writing how its programme meets each one.
Pakistani, Nigerian and Bangladeshi students should check the current lists of their regulators (PMDC, MDCN, BMDC) before paying.
Kazan is a calm city of over a million people where Russian and Tatar, Christian and Muslim traditions live side by side, and halal food is easy to find. If halal matters to you, ask a cafe to show its halal certificate.
Winters are long and cold, so budget for a warm coat and boots. Foreign Visa and Mastercard cards do not work in Russia because of sanctions, so open a Russian account with a Mir card after arrival and bring US dollars in cash for the first weeks. Traffic rules are enforced strictly: students report police fines for crossing on a red light.
An Indian medical student who filmed the Universiade Village says almost everything a newcomer needs is inside it: the office for visa extension and registration, paid laundry, a SIM card office and a student clinic open around the clock. The compulsory insurance covered tests; students paid for the consultation and medicines.
— An Indian medical student at KFU, filmed around 2019 to 2020 (video)
The same student describes learning to examine patients by touch, tapping and listening to the heart and lungs. There is a test after almost every topic and exams in the last week of December, so she batch-cooks rice and lentils in the afternoon to keep evenings free for study.
— An Indian medical student at KFU, November 2020 (video)
International students interviewed on campus call the hostel safe because of guards and cameras; an Iraqi student felt safer there than in a rented flat. An Iranian student called the teachers strict and direct. Seniors help juniors and there is no ragging, and a Jamaican student and others said they had not faced racism on campus.
— International medical students at KFU, interviewed by an Indian student (video)
Prices mentioned in the 2019 and 2020 videos are out of date; trust the current official price list.
KFU teaches General Medicine in English for six years at 653,400 RUB a year (≈ $8,100), with training at its own University Clinic and city hospitals. QS ranks KFU 468th for 2027 and its Medicine subject in the 651–700 band; check your home regulator's rules first.
For most programmes, yes. General Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Clinical Psychology are the exceptions: their entrance tests are taken in person in Russia.
For the 2026/27 hostel price for contract students, ask KFU directly. Study in Russia lists 525 RUB a month (≈ $7) plus appliance and internet fees, without a date, so ask KFU in writing.
No. Kazan State Medical University (kazangmu.ru) has been a separate university since 1930, while KFU (kpfu.ru) teaches medicine in its Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology.
Last updated: 1 November 2026. Fees and regulations change; check the official sources above before you apply.
Kursk State Medical University (KSMU) is a state medical university in Kursk, Russia, that has taught General Medicine (MBBS) to international students in English since 1994 through its International Medical Institute. The course lasts 6 years; fees are set in roubles each year, so get the 2026/27 price list in writing and read the current travel advice for Kursk Oblast before you apply.
Kazan State Medical University (KSMU) is a state medical university in Kazan, Russia, dating from 1814 and teaching more than 2,200 international students. For 2026/27 General Medicine costs 636,000 RUB a year in English or Russian. You apply between 20 June and 15 July and pass online tests in Chemistry and English or Russian, with at least 65 points in each.
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