Services for International Students

At Ufa University of Science and Technology (UUST), the admission, support, and adaptation of international students are handled by a specialized structural unit — the Office of International Cooperation (OIC). Today, more than 2,500 international students from 60 countries study at UUST, and the OIC serves as their main “guide” — from the moment they submit their documents to their successful integration into the university’s academic and cultural life.

Structure of the Service

To work effectively with international students, the Office of International Cooperation includes three specialized departments:

• Department of International Activities and Academic Mobility — responsible for developing partnerships with foreign universities, organizing academic exchanges, and the university’s participation in international educational projects.
• Department of Recruitment and Support of International Students — responsible for attracting applicants from abroad, advising on admission issues, and supporting international students throughout their entire period of study.
• Passport and Visa Department — provides migration support: registration, visa issuance and extension, and work with permits and related documents.

Key Areas of Work with International Students

1. Visa and Migration Support
The Passport and Visa Department supports students from their first days in Russia. An international student must contact the department no later than one business day after entry in order to complete migration registration. Staff also advise on compliance with Russian migration legislation and on the possibility of obtaining a temporary residence permit for the purpose of obtaining education (RVPО).

2. Assistance During Arrival and Move-In
A clear algorithm of actions has been developed for arriving students: they must notify the Office in advance of their arrival date, then register in the university’s information system, obtain a voluntary health insurance (VHI) policy, and receive a referral for dormitory placement. All these steps are supervised by OIC staff, which reduces the risk of bureaucratic difficulties for first-year students.

3. Sociocultural Adaptation
The Office actively participates in organizing events that help international students settle into their new environment more quickly. Meetings are held with first-year students, at which representatives of the Passport and Visa Department, the Student Campus, and the Association of International Students explain the rules of residence, migration requirements, and opportunities for self-realization. Special attention is paid to language adaptation — the university implements Russian language programs, and a conversation club operates under the Student Trade Union Committee.

4. Support Throughout the Period of Study
Staff of the Department of Recruitment and Support of International Students are assigned to specific countries and regions (Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and non-CIS countries), which makes it possible to take into account the cultural and organizational characteristics of each group of students. This ensures a personalized approach and prompt assistance on a wide range of issues — from academic to everyday matters.

Along with the Office of International Cooperation, the Career Center plays an important role in the lives of international students at Ufa University of Science and Technology (UUST). While the OIC is responsible for admission, migration support, and sociocultural adaptation, the Career Center helps international students and graduates build their professional trajectory — from their first internships to employment.

Key Areas of Work with International Students

1. Career consultations and career guidance
International students, like all UUST students, can contact the Career Center at any time for consultations on professional self-determination, resume writing, and interview preparation. For an international audience, these consultations are especially important because they help take into account the specifics of the Russian labor market and the requirements placed on foreign specialists.

2. Internships and interaction with employers
Every year, UUST holds more than 20 career events in online and offline formats: company presentations, career days, job fairs, the “Week Without Turnstiles” campaign, meetings with employers, specialized courses “Job Search Technology,” and trainings from the recruitment portals HeadHunter and SuperJob. International students can participate in these events on an equal basis with Russian students, and the university’s partner companies provide internship and practical training placements that can be combined with studies.

3. Support for graduate employment
The Career Center carries out personalized work with graduates, including international ones, to support their employment and interaction with employers. The university maintains ties with a wide range of companies — from Rosneft and SIBUR to the IT sector and banking — which expands opportunities for international graduates to start careers in Russia or in international companies doing business with their home countries.

The Ufa branch of the Association of International Students of Russia (AIS) is a public organization that operates at Ufa University of Science and Technology (UUST) and unites international students from several universities of the capital of Bashkortostan at once. While the Office of International Cooperation and the Career Center provide official support and professional integration, the AIS fills the most important informal layer — sociocultural and psychological adaptation through horizontal “student-to-student” connections.

The Association of International Students of Russia is an all-Russian organization founded in 1996 at RUDN University and today uniting more than 10,000 people from 70 countries. UUST joined the Board of Trustees of AIS Russia in 2023, and in December 2024 it opened its own branch on its premises. The Ufa branch unites international students from UUST, BSPU, BSMU, and BSAU, that is, it works as an inter-university platform.

The structure of the branch is built on a geographical principle: it includes representatives of Arab countries, Kazakhstan, African countries, India, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.

Key Areas of Adaptation Work

1. Passing on experience “first-hand”
One of the main functions of the branch is organizing meetings at which senior students and AIS representatives share their own experience with newcomers. At a large meeting with international first-year students in December 2025, the AIS president spoke about the organization’s activities, after which interested students were accepted into the Ufa branch. Association representatives gave first-year students advice on adaptation, spoke about life in Russia and studying at the university, and answered questions in an open dialogue format.

2. Sociocultural and festive events
The AIS acts as the organizer of events that reduce cultural distance and create an informal communication environment. For example, together with UUST, the branch held a New Year quiz for international students at the Inter-University Campus: participants in team competitions guessed New Year traditions of different countries, took part in contests and creative performances, and the culmination was the appearance of Ded Moroz and Snegurochka. The evening concluded with an International Ball featuring melodies of different peoples. Such formats serve a dual purpose: they introduce Russian culture and at the same time give students from different countries the opportunity to present their own.

3. Inter-university integration
Since the branch unites students from four universities, it expands the adaptation environment beyond a single university. Participants in the round table “Ufa Branch of the Association of International Students of Russia” from Ufa universities shared their experience in organizing events aimed specifically at the sociocultural adaptation of international students, and following a vote, new representatives from BSAU, BSPU, and BSMU officially joined the AIS. This creates a sustainable support network on a city-wide scale.

4. Representation of interests and dialogue with the administration
The AIS is not limited to leisure activities. Among the association’s goals are fostering mutual understanding between international students and the university administration, representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of international students, and improving cultural, educational, and adaptation work. The branch works in tandem with UUST’s specialized units: meetings are attended by staff of the Passport and Visa Department and the Department of International Activities, which makes it possible to promptly convey current information on migration requirements to students and at the same time communicate their needs to the university leadership.