Russian as a lingua franca

29 June 2022

Author: Shigapova Mariya Andreevna

119 students from 22 countries have completed their studies at RosNOU’s Educational Center for Foreign Citizens this academic year. 67 of them received certificates verifying successful completion of Russian Language Courses and pre-university training. According to the Center’s Director Alexandr L. Zamula, they intend to continue their studies at RosNOU and other Russian universities. — 28 Iranian students have successfully completed a specially tailored program of the Russian language with medical and biological orientation, — explains the Director, — The others have expressed their wish to continue studying Russian as a foreign language at RosNOU.

Russian New University has been teaching Russian as a foreign language to international students since 2002 when the Center for International Education and Preparatory Department were founded. This event became an important milestone in RosNOU’s international activities in terms of developing training programs for foreign citizens. The foundation of the Preparatory Department allowed them to learn Russian and offered prospects for their future careers.

Today, Russian as a Foreign Language program not only remains relevant but also keeps gaining popularity.

— Many foreign students choose RosNOU because it has proved its efficiency in Russian language training. In terms of the quality of teaching Russian as a Foreign Language, we compete with such prestigious universities as RUDN University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, and Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. Upon completing the Russian language program at RosNOU, international students have no difficulties with getting admitted, for instance, to medical and technical programs in leading universities of Russia as they have mastered the required linguistic base. A good number of students opt for continuing their education at the main educational programs at RosNOU.

It is so touching to watch how international students, for example, from Africa and China, communicate with each other in Russian even though many of them could find another lingua franca like French, English, Spanish etc.

George A. Gabrielian

Director for International Affairs & Protocol

According to experts, in three years, with the world population of 8 billion, the number of Russian-speaking people will reach 215 million. Russian is one of the six official languages of the United Nations; it is the seventh in the world in terms of the number of native speakers and it is consistently placed among the 10 Most Studied Languages. At the XX All-Russia Congress that took place at RUDN University with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Association of International Students of Russia adopted a resolution that raised an issue of renewing in the system of Russian higher school the practice of teaching international students the course «Methodology of Teaching Russian to the Foreign Audience».

In September 2022, RosNOU launches the Bachelor program «Methodology of Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language». During the first year of the program, students learn the Russian language mastering its grammar and developing their speaking, listening, and writing skills. Russian language classes are interspersed with general courses that are instructed in Russian with the help of an auxiliary language such as English, French, Arabic or Chinese. In the following three years of the program, students acquire professional knowledge in Pedagogy and other specialized disciplines.

International students can also enroll for Russian language courses run by RosNOU’s Educational Center for Foreign Citizens. Students can submit their applications throughout the academic year and during the summer holidays. Training starts in September and ends in July. Student groups are formed in accordance with the students’ level of knowledge and the number of students in a group does not exceed 12 people. The workload of the program is 910–1,010 contact academic hours.