Moscow State University

Moscow State University (MSU; Russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова, often abbreviated МГУ, MGU) is a public research university located in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1755 by Mikhail Lomonosov. During the Soviet period, MSU was renamed after Lomonosov in 1940 and was then known as Lomonosov University. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy.

Honored by Harvard University as "Russia's Harvard," Moscow State University has educated many notable alumni including leaders of the Soviet Union and other governments as well as a Patriarch of Russian Orthodox Church.^[2] As of 2019, 13 Nobel laureates, 6 Fields Medal winners and 1 Turing Award winner have been affiliated with the university. According to the 2019 QS World University Rankings, it is the highest-ranking Russian educational institution^[3] and according to the Nature Index, it is highest ranking Russian university for research output.^[4] The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments and 6 branches (including five foreign ones - all in the CIS countries). Alumni of Moscow State University have established strong, respectable positions in financial, technological, and literary hubs of the world. Moscow State University is generally accepted as the leading higher educational institution in the former Soviet Union, retaining its superior legacy from the Soviet era.^[5]