Q. Are the students provided hostel accommodation? What facilities do the hostels provide? Are they situated within the campus?
A. Students are accommodated in International hostels managed by the university. The rooms can accommodate 2 to 3 students each depending on its size. Each student will get a table, a chair, a bed and a cupboard. Bed linen, pillow and blankets are provided by the university and are changed once a week. The hostels are centrally heated in winters. Every floor of the hostel has adequate toilets and bath with running hot & cold water. Each floor will have a kitchen with burners / hot plates, cutting tables, washing sinks etc where students can cook their own meal. The hostels employ cleaning staff to maintain the areas of public use such as corridors, halls, kitchens, toilets etc, while maintaining the cleanliness and tidiness of the room is the student’s own responsibility.

Hostels in some universities are located within the campus, while in some others, such as in Moscow, they are 50 to 60 km away. However, public transport in Russia is excellent and the student will experience to difficulty in commuting between the hostel and the university.

It may be wise for the student not to expect living conditions similar to the USA or other western countries where the cost are very much higher than in Russia. But you can be sure of the excellent and high quality education, while residing in reasonable comfort.

Q. Are mess facilities available in the hostels? Do they serve Indian food?
A. Mess facilities are generally not available in the hostels, but many hostels have a cafeteria which serve Russian and Continental food and snacks at subsidized rates. Such cafeterias are also available in all university main buildings. The usual practice is for the student to have lunch in the university cafeteria & cook his / her own meal in the kitchen provided on each floor of every hostel. A J Trust Educational Consultancy offers mess facility with Indian food in some university hostels for the convenience of the students. All vegetables, meat and fruits are available in Russia. Students can carry sufficient quantity of Indian spices and masalas with them to Russia. Indian masalas are available in some cities like Moscow & Volgograd.

Q. How much money is required for living expenses in Russia?
A. A student can manage comfortably with $100 to $ 120 per month in most Russian cities. In Moscow & St Petersburg, the expenses could be as high as $250 to $ 300 per month. It must be noted however that the living expenses will depend also on the spending habits of the student.

Q. Can a student open a Bank Account in Russia? Are there any other means of sending money to the student in Russia?
A. Yes, the student can open a Bank account in Russia after his / her passport and local address has been registered with the immigration authorities. Money can be directly transferred to the student’s bank account from a bank in India. There are also convenient ATM facilities in Russia from which students can withdraw money using Debit Cards or Travel Currency Debit Cards which are issued by some banks and other authorized institutions in India.

Q. Do Banks sanction educational loans for study in Russia? Will A J Trust help in getting a loan sanctioned from the bank?
A. Banks do sanction loans for education. We can guide the student with necessary documentation and procedures, but the responsibility of providing the required securities to the bank and satisfying their loan sanction criteria rests with the student.

Q. How does a student keep in touch with his / her parents?
A. Mobile phones are widely used in Russia and are convenient for the student. Mobile networks in Russia work on the GSM system. The student may carry a GSM compatible phone from India or purchase one in Russia itself. The student can purchase a SIM card for the mobile phone as soon as the registration procedure is completed. Internet facilities are also available in Russia for keeping in touch through e-mail.

Q. What are the facilities available to a student in case he falls sick?
A. The Russian Government has made it mandatory for foreign students to take a medical insurance policy to over the cost of treatment including medication in case of hospitalization for any ailment. The premium for such a policy varies between $ 100 to 150 per year. For normal or routine cases not requiring hospitalization, the student can consult doctors free of cost at the university hospitals, but the cost of medicines will have to be borne by the students.

Q. How is the safety and security of the students in Russia ensured?
A. Russia is a very safe country for all its residents including foreign citizens. Just as in every country in the world the general safety of the Russian as well as foreign citizens is entrusted to the Police Department (called Militia in Russia). The universities and their hostels are guarded by their own internal security departments.

The militia constantly patrols the streets, paying special attention to the security of international students. All students are issued Identification cards by the university. They are expected to carry their ID cards and a copy of their passport with them at all times when moving outside the hostel, & produce them when and if asked to do so by the militia.

Q. Is Russia cold throughout the year? How does a student from India cope with the conditions?
A.Russia is not cold throughout the year. It has four distinct seasons – Summer from May to August, Autumn from September to November, Winter from December to February and spring from March to April. Summer temperatures average +25º C while winter temperatures can be about - 25º C.

All establishments in Russia like homes, hostels, classrooms and shops as well as all means of transport like buses, trams, taxis, trains etc are centrally heated. It is therefore not a problem for the Indian students to cope with the extreme winter temperatures. They need only ensure adequate protection from exposure to the cold by wearing warm clothing, gloves & woolen head gear when moving around outdoors. Should the student need additional warmth in the hostel room, despite the central heating, he / she can buy a room heater for personal use.

Q. When do the students get their vacations?
A.Undergraduate medical students get winter holidays from January 25th to February 9th, and summer holidays from July 5th to August 30th each year. There is no specific vacation period for Post graduate students.

Most students utilize the summer vacations to go back to their countries. A J Trust assists the students in ticketing arrangements if required. It is not mandatory that the student go back home during the vacations. The hostels remain open for those who would like to stay back. Some universities also offer summer training programmes like nursing, Para medicine etc during the vacations for those students who are interested.

Q. Is it permissible to transfer to another university in Russia after admission?
A. It is important to note that migration from one university to another is not a right of a student. It may be considered only in exceptional circumstances or on compassionate grounds, provided the following criteria are fulfilled:
a) The university to which the student desires to migrate should be approved under the provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act 1956.
b) The student must get a no objection certificate from both universities to the transfer.
c) The student must get an exit visa from the university in which he / she is studying, return to India, and then enter Russia again on the Invitation Letter issued by the university he / she proposes to join.
d) Migration during the clinical course is not generally permitted on any grounds.
e) All migration cases are subject to the approval of the Ministry of Health, Government of Russia.

Q. Is there any ragging in Russia?
A Ragging is severely discouraged in Russia & considered to be a criminal offence. Anyone found guilty of ragging can be suspended or expelled from the university or deported from the country.

Q. In case the student opts out at any stage of the admission process, will A J Trust refund the
facilitation fees already paid?
A. A J Trust Educational Consultancy offers free counseling services to all students to explain all aspects of study in Russia such as the courses available, educational facilities, admission procedures including the schedule of payment of facilitation fees etc. It is expected that the student is fully satisfied with the information provided and has then proceeded with the admission.

A J Trust incurs expenses in processing the applications at each stage, and regretfully therefore is not in a position to refund any part of the facilitation fees once paid should the student opt out of the admission process.

Q. Can the student's parents visit their children in the university in Russia? Does A J Trust provide any assistance for this?
A. Yes, parents are most welcome to Russia to meet their children. Universities consider it a privilege to meet the parents and are eager to show them around the university to see for themselves the infrastructure, the sophisticated teaching and diagnostic aids and the well equipped laboratories, clinical and surgical facilities etc.

A J Trust will be happy to coordinate the parents' visit to Russia. We can make all arrangements including the visa invitational letter, visa stamping from the Russian Embassy, ticketing, travel and stay.

Q. Are there any job opportunities in Russia after education there? Can A J Trust help the student secure a job after graduation?
A. All Medical Universities in Russia are listed in the 'World Directory of Medical Schools' published by the WHO. Hence the Degrees awarded by any of these universities are recognized worldwide. Graduating students are eligible to write screening exams such as the USMLE, PLAB, AMC etc and on passing them will become eligible to work in those countries.

Many countries in the Middle East, Maldives etc directly recognize Russian medical degrees & greatly value and prefer applications from students graduating from Russian universities.

A J Trust receives enquiries from hospitals and speciality clinics worldwide including India for information on graduates from Russian medical universities and vacancies to be filled. We can guide and assist our students in securing lucrative job assignments in these institutions.

The opportunities in Russia itself are rather limited. Moreover, remuneration levels in Russia are yet to catch up with that of other countries and International graduates from Russia may prefer to seek opportunities elsewhere.