University in Armenia: How to Apply for Top Armenian Universities

Armenian colleges and universities host hundreds of foreign students each year. Some come for a semester as an exchange student; others enroll in a full 4-year degree program, especially if they study the Armenian history and language.

If you are thinking about entering a college or university in Armenia, here is some important information about top Armenian colleges and universities and their admission rules.

Checklist

• Application to the YSU rector, where the specialization should be noted
• Copy of Diploma verified by a notary office, where the studied subjects and grades of taken exams should be noted
• Medical record
• Document on absence of AIDS
• Copy of passport
• Copy of birth certificate
• 6 photos of 4x5 size

If the student wants to apply for a researcher’s (1-2 years) or PhD (3 years) program, then he/she is required to present the following documents in addition to the above mentioned.

• Educational plan and an article on the future dissertation including the title of the dissertation
• The list of officially verified articles or 2-3 themes relating to the scientific thesis

All the documents must be verified by the Armenian Embassy of the student’s home country.

Yerevan state university is also known as the “Mother University” of Armenia. It was founded in 1920 and has graduated about 90000 students until now. Currently there are 20 faculties in the university with 13000 students. YSU carries many significant modern researches of different scientific fields with the help of highly qualified scientists.

Faculties of YSU

• History
• Armenian Philology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Economics
• Mathematics and Mechanics
• Geography
• Biology
• Law
• Russian Philology
• Oriental Studies
• Journalism
• Philosophy
• Informatics and Applied Mathematics
• Radiophysics
• Sociology
• Romance-Germanic Philology
• International Relations
• Theology
• Foreign Students Preparation Faculty

If you are a foreigner with no knowledge of Armenian, you need to apply to the Forign Students Preparation Faculty. This faculty was established in 1961 and since then it has graduated over 6000 foreign students from 55 countries of the world.

This faculty has 3 departments:

• Department of the Armenian Language
• Department of Foreign Languages
• Department of General Academic Subjects

Students, who apply to this faculty, are divided into three groups:

1. Students with no knowledge of Armenian
2. Students with basic knowledge of Armenian
3. Students with excellent knowledge of Armenian

In one academic year students gain enough knowledge to continue their professinal courses in Armenian.

The department of Natural Sciences offers courses of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Informatics, while the department of Public Sciences provides courses of History, Geography and Principles of Economics.

Foreign students whose level of education corresponds to the standards of Armenia’s secondary school program (including the students who don’t have enough knowledge of Armenian) can apply to the Foreign Students Preparation Faculty. During their study, along with the general academic subjects, the students also learn or improve their Armenian. At the end of the academic year, those students who pass all their exams can enter the corresponding faculty.

In order to be eligible for the Bachelor’s program, students need to be able to read and speak fluent Armenian and pass the necessary exams, while in order to apply for a Master’s course students need to have a Bachelor’s degree, and proficiency of the Armenian language. Those students who read and speak fluent Armenian (or Russian) and obtain a Master’s degree can enroll in PhD education.

Yerevan State Medical University is the largest medical university in Armenia and is the most popular in terms of its international students. It was founded in 1920 and has established an office of International Student’s Education in 1957. The education quality of YSMU corresponds to international standards, which is one of the reasons for foreign students to choose it.

YSMU has organized classes in Russian for foreign students mainly from India, Iran, Ethiopia, Bulgaria etc. However since 2000 courses at YSMU are carried out also in English.

There are currently about 740 foreign students studying at YSMU, who come from India, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Canada, USA, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Abkhazia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius.

Faculties of YSMU

• General Medicine
• Public Health
• Stomatology
• Pharmacy
• Military Medicine
• Postgraduate and Continuing Education
• Dean’s Office of International Students’ Education

The education of foreign citizens is organized in Armenian, Russian and English in the following faculties:

• General Medicine ( 6 years with a qualification of a Doctor of Medicine)
• Stomatology (5 years with a qualification of Doctor of Stomatology)
• Pharmacy (5 years with a qualification of Pharmacist)

At YSMU foreign students can study not only theoretical but also clinical disciplines gaining a lot of practical skills with the help of trainings organized in the university as well as in urban and republican clinics of Armenia. The students are also highly encouraged to involve in various educational and cultural activities, researches etc. The office of International Students’ Education organizes celebrations of the foreign students’ national holidays and rituals.

Checklist

• Application to the Minister of Education of Armenia
• Application form, which can be downloaded in the official website of YSMU
• Medical document stating the health state of the applicant. This document can be given by any medical center in Armenia.
• Copy of passport or birth certificate
• High School Diploma and its copy
• 6 photos of 4x6 size
• Autobiography
• Applicants applying for PhD education must submit a scientific report on a preferred specialty topic. The report must be of no more than 20 pages and can be written in Armenian, Russian or English.

The foreign citizens who want to enter YSMU need to have secondary (high-school) education and need to pass 2 of the entrance exams: Physics, Chemistry, Biology. Applicants choose the subjects themselves. If the applicants fail the entrance exams, they may have an opportunity to take part in the preparatory year program.

In order to enter YSMU, applicants must submit their documents to the Armenian Embassy in their home country or send them via post to the Ministry of Education of Armenia.

Foreign students admitted to YSMU get their single entry visa at the Embassy of Armenia in their home country after getting the permission of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is applied by YSMU. The students need to pay the visa fees at the embassy in their home country. However, in case there is no Armenian embassy in the student’s home country, he/she will be given a Resident Card in Armenia for free.

Checklist

• Application to EIU
• Application to the Minister of Education and Science of Armenia
• Application form provided by the Ministry of Education and Science of Armenia
• Health certificate (may be given by Armenian medical organizations as well)
• Passport or birth certificate copy
• Document of the degree earned
• 4 photos of 3×4 size
• CV (Resume) in Armenian, Russian or English
• Applicants applying for graduate program must also submit copies of official academic records

In contrast to the above mentioned state universities, Eurasia International University is a private institution of higher education in Armenia. The university is based in Yerevan and offers both graduate and undergraduate education of international standards. The areas of study at EIU include Law, Management and Foreign Languages.

EIU cooperates with different international institutions creating a bridge between Armenian and international students and lecturers.

Foreign citizens who want to enroll in EIU educational programs, are welcome to apply for their preferred program if they have a tourist visa. Once the student is admitted, EIU applies to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get an entry permission for the student. After having the permission, the student can apply for a single entry visa in the Armenian Embassy of his/her own country. However in case there is no Armenian Embassy in the student's home country, a specific application is possessed and the student gets a Resident Card in Armenia for free.