Volgograd State Social and Pedagogical University, VSPU

• Location: Volgograd, Russia;
• Age of students: from 17 years;
• Type: mixed;
• Language of instruction: Russian.

The university was founded on May 22, 1931.

The structure of VSPU includes:

• 7 institutes:
  • foreign languages;
  • art education;
  • technology, economics and service;
  • Russian language and literature;
  • natural science education, physical culture and life safety;
  • international education;
  • additional education;
• 5 faculties:
  • psychological, pedagogical and social education;
  • historical and legal education;
  • mathematics, computer science and physics;
  • pre-school and primary education;
  • social and correctional pedagogy;
• 2 university-wide departments:
  • Pedagogy;
  • philosophy and cultural studies.

The results of the research work of the university staff are tested at scientific and practical conferences, readings, seminars and symposia of various levels.

VSPU publishes the journal "Izvestiya VSPU".

Departments and scientists of the university participate in grant competitions of state scientific funds, in scientific programs of federal and regional levels. The greatest grant activity in 2021 was shown by:

• scientific and educational laboratory of physics of low-dimensional systems;
• Department of Higher Mathematics and Physics;
• Department of Pedagogy;
• Department of Methods of Teaching Mathematics and Physics, ICT;
• Department of Linguistics.

Nonresident and foreign students, undergraduates, graduate students and employees live in three comfortable dormitories:

• Dormitory No. 1 is of sectional type. Each section has 3-4 living rooms for 2-3 people. There is also a washbasin, shower and toilet, kitchen on the floor. Number of seats — 528. 
• Dormitory No. 2 is of sectional type. The section consists of 8 living rooms for 2-3 people. There is a kitchen, toilets, washrooms, showers. Number of seats — 955. 
• Hostel No. 3 is of corridor type. The rooms are designed for 3 people, amenities on the floor. Number of seats — 330. 

In the canteen of the sanatorium-dispensary, students receive 3 full meals a day.

There are 38 youth student associations in VSPU, among them the Club of Intellectual and Creative Games "Scientific Cat of VSPU". 

The most significant events of the Club: 

• VSPU Freshman Cup in the game "What? Where is? When?";
• VSPU Championships in ChGC;
• intellectual game "Voroshilov shooter";
• I Cup of Volgograd in the online game "What? Where is? When? "Volgograd Spring";
• Regional Gagarin Cup in the online game "What? Where is? When?"

The following activities are carried out in the university:

• Student Historical and Archaeological Club "Horizont";
• Student Circle "Our Heritage";
• Student Historical and Ethnographic Circle "Such a Country";
• Search squad "Guardsman".

Key activities and projects to preserve Russia's historical and cultural heritage: 

• All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Actual Problems of russian History: Scientific Approaches and Educational Practices";
• Student Memory Watch in the Kalachevsky District of the Volgograd Region;
• All-Russian school of the search engine "Search Front" (Kazan);
• "THEIR Victory! Our Memory!" – visits of academic groups of the first year to the memorial complex "Mamayev Kurgan";
• Excursions to:
  • State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve "The Battle of Stalingrad";
  • Memorial and Historical Museum;
  • Regional Museum of Local Lore;
  • VMII named after I.I. Mashkov;
  • historical park "Russia – My History";
• Reconnaissance field expedition of the search team "Gvardeets" to the Gorodishchensky district of the Volgograd region: 
  • lifting and burial of the remains of soldiers and officers who died during the Great Patriotic War;
  • the identification of dead and missing soldiers;
  • search for their loved ones;
• project "Armored boat BK-31. Search";
• the action "From the taiga to the British seas... »;
• All-Russian Forum of Veteran Organizations, etc.

Creative teams of VSPU:

• Choreographic Ensemble "Extravaganza";
• Folk amateur collective "Youth Entreprise "ART-Chance"";
• Folklore Ensemble "Pokrov";
• Student Opera Studio "Debut";
• Vocal and instrumental ensemble ETHEREAL;
• Student Theater of Variety Miniatures "Pulse";
• Dance ensemble "AzART". 

VSPU has a sports club of the tandem university, which organizes the work of 18 free sports sections and ensures the participation of university athletes in competitions of various levels (zonal, district and Russian, international). 

The following sports events have become traditional at the university: 

• "You and Sport" competitions;
• Football championship "Teacher's League" among the faculties of VSPU;
• event "Grand Prix in Chess" among VSPU students;
• Spartakiad among the faculties of VSPU (in 12 sports);
• Freshman Cups;
• Spartakiad of dormitories "We are friends with dormitories", etc.

The educational and material base of VSPU includes: 

• 4 educational buildings with a total area of more than 53,000 square meters;
• 3 dormitories with a total capacity of 1900 people;
• 3-storey building of training workshops;
• 4-storey library building:
  • book depository for 1 million volumes;
  • assembly hall for 280 seats;
  • conference halls for 1700 seats;
• 4-storey sports building with:
  • 8 gyms;
  • stadium with artificial turf (3200 sq. m.);
  • indoor swimming pool (1800 sq. m.);
  • Gym;
  • fitness room;
  • tennis court;
• agrobiostation (2 hectares);
• educational and recreational complex (recreation center "Marathon") for 150 people (8 hectares, 20 buildings and cottage-type houses, including 14 year-round use, with heating and all household amenities);
• botanical garden with a rich collection of herbaceous, woody and shrubby plants (over 1300 species).

In the educational process, audio and video equipment, satellite television, the Internet are widely used.  14 computer classes in educational buildings and 3 computer classes of self-training in student dormitories are connected to the Internet, part of the classroom fund is equipped with projectors, there is a media library, an electronic library hall, public Internet classes.

At the faculties, in the dormitories and in the educational and recreational complex there are more than 20 zones of wireless Wi-Fi access to the Internet and the corporate network of VSPU. 

Foreign language training is conducted in language computer rooms. 

Medical support for students is carried out on the basis of the university in an equipped medical center and a sanatorium-dispensary, which occupies one of the floors of the hostel.

The academic year begins on September 1 and is divided into two semesters, each of which ends with a test-examination session in accordance with the curriculum of the relevant educational program.

Additional expenses of students may include fees for accommodation in dormitories (for non-residents), meals, leisure and other expenses.

When applying for admission, the applicant submits:

• Identity document, citizenship;
• Education document and application;
• Medical certificate form 086-U for applicants to the areas of training:
  • Teacher education;
  • Pedagogical education (with two profiles of training);
  • Psychological and pedagogical education;
  • Special (defectological) education;
• Documents confirming the existence of special rights and benefits, as well as individual achievements of the applicant (if any);
• Photo (photo of the face on a monochromatic background, without other people and objects, selfies are allowed);
• SNILS (if any);
• Agreement on targeted training - for applicants under the target quota.

During the admission campaign, 11,048 applications were submitted to the university. The highest competition was noted in the training profiles: 

• "English, German" – 4.33 people per place;
• "English, French" – 4 people per place;
• "Primary education" - 2 people per place. 

The university has launched a digital career environment on the basis of the inter-university platform "Facultius", which unites more than 400 universities in Russia.

Partners of the university for the employment of graduates:

• General educational, preschool and professional educational institutions of Volgograd and the Volgograd region;
• Traktorozavodsky Center for Social Services of the Population;
• Volgograd Regional Center for Psychological, Medical and Social Support;
• Volgograd Regional Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Assistance to the Population, etc.

Applicants to the university must meet the following requirements:

• age from 17 years;
• completed education not lower than secondary complete general, confirmed by the relevant document.

The minimum number of points according to the results of the Unified State Exam:

• Mathematics, 39;
• Russian language — 40;
• Physics — 39;
• Informatics and ICT, 44;
• Social Studies, 45;
• Biology, 39;
• Geography — 40;
• Literature: 40;
• History, 35;
• Foreign language — 30;
• Chemistry — 39.

• state academic scholarship;
• state social scholarship;
• scholarships of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation;
• scholarships;
• scholarships awarded by legal entities and individuals, including those who sent them to study.

The University provides material support to students who find themselves in a difficult life situation.

• Guardianship services during the studies
• Student supervision