Saint Petersburg State University
universityPublic
| Saint Petersburg State University link () Website | |
|---|---|
| File:S P S Univ logo.jpg | |
| Motto | Hic tuta perennat (Here all in safety lasts) |
| Formation | 1724 |
| Headquarters | Saint Petersburg,Russia |
| Type | Public |
| Has a reputation for having educated the majority of Russia's political elite | |
St Petersburg University is a Russian public university based in Saint Petersburg. It is the oldest and one of the largest universities in Russia.
Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the University from the very beginning has had a strong focus on fundamental research in science, engineering and humanities.
The university has a reputation for having educated the majority of Russia's political elite, including presidents Vladimir Putin and Dimitry Medvedev, both of whom studied Law at the university.
It is made up of 24 specialized faculties (departments) and institutes, the Academic Gymnasium, the Medical College, the College of Physical culture and Sports, Economics and Technology. The university has two primary campuses: one on Vasilievsky Island and the other one in Peterhof.
During the Soviet period, it was known as Leningrad State University. It was renamed after Andrei Zhdanov in 1948 and was officially called "Leningrad State University, named after A. A. Zhdanov and Decorated with the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor". A. A. Zhdanov's was removed in 1989 and Leningrad in the name was officially replaced with Saint Petersburg in 1992, however the mentions of being decorated with orders stayed for some time after that.