{
  "id": 14750446,
  "title": "Getting into a Russian university could soon come with a new financial hurdle for some students: paying a full semester’s tuition upfront",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/getting-into-a-russian-university-could-soon-come-with-a-new",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T17:22:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/15/getting-into-a-russian-university-could-soon-come-with-a-new-financial-hurdle-for-some-students-paying-a-full-semester-s-tuition-upfront"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education is considering a new requirement for students attending tuition-paying universities. Under the proposed draft, students would need to pay the full cost of their first semester before enrolling in the institution. Applicants would be required to sign an enrollment contract and make the payment, which would take effect on March 1, 2027.\n\nThe ministry states that this initiative aims to tackle the issue of \"phantom\" competition for places at universities. Currently, students can sign contracts with multiple universities simultaneously, reserving certain spots for tuition-paying applicants and making them unavailable to others. The ministry believes that advance payment would make the admissions process clearer and fairer for all parties involved.\n\nIn addition to the new payment requirement, the ministry has proposed barring expelled students from reenrolling at the same university for a period of five years if their expulsion was due to a disciplinary penalty. These proposed changes would apply to tuition-paying students in Russia's higher education system.",
  "summary": "Russia’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education has proposed requiring tuition-paying university students to pay for their first semester before enrolling, according to a draft ministry order.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}