Moscow State Institute of International Relations

The Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) is an academic institution run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. It is widely considered as the most elite university in Russia, and one of the top universities in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as an important think tank. MGIMO has a prominent role of teamwork, analytical thinking, critical reasoning, and strategic planning as key aspects of its training methodologies. It was dubbed the “Harvard of Russia” by Henry Kissinger, because it educates so many of the country’s political, economic, and intellectual elite. Currently, it has the lowest acceptance rate and the highest test scores of any university in Russia. It is the alma mater of the largest number of Forbes list members and representatives of the political elite according to Forbes Russia.