St. Petersburg University

Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU) is a Russian federal state-owned higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg. It is the oldest and one of the largest universities in Russia. The university, from the very beginning, has had a strong focus on fundamental research in science, engineering and humanities. SPbU has a reputation for having educated the majority of Russia’s political elite, including presidents Vladimir Putin and Dimitry Medvedev, both of whom studied Law at the university. It was the first from Russian universities to join The Coimbra Group, and now it represents Russia in the group. The institution is ranked 235^th in the world by the prestigious QS World University Rankings.