Peoples friendship university of Russia

PEOPLES FRIENDSHIP UNIVERSITY OF RUSSIA 

Peoples’ Friendship University was established by the government of the Soviet Union on February 5, 1960. The Soviet government decided to establish Peoples’ Friendship University in response to the requests of former colonial countries. On February 22, 1961, it was renamed in honor of Patrice Lumumba, the leader of what later became the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who had been overthrown and murdered in a coup only days earlier. In the first year, 539 foreign students from 59 countries were enrolled (plus 57 Soviet students).

In February 1975, the University was awarded the Peoples’ Friendship Order for contributions in human development of Asian, African and Latin American countries.

On February 5, 1992 the university was renamed 'Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia – State Institute of Higher Education (PFUR)'. The founder of the PFUR is the government of the Russian Federation.

Today, more than 97,000 graduates work in approximately 165 different countries around the world. The university has 57 programmes with about 33,000 students (including postgraduates and trainees) of 450 nationalities. About 13,500 of the current students are from outside the Russian Federation, while more than 1,000 are from autonomous regions inside the Russian Federation.

The University staff includes about 4,000 employees; among them there are 532 professors and Doctors of Science, 807 associate professors and candidates of science, 91 academicians and Corresponding Members of academies of Russia, 50 Honoured workers of Science of the Russian Federation, 56 PFUR teachers and professors are full members of international academies and learned societies, as well as other general employees.