On January 20, 2026, the university’s first Academic Council meeting of 2026 took place, where Vice-Rector for Strategy and GR, Dmitry Semenov, presented the results of the university’s ranking progress in 2025 and outlined the plans for 2026.
In his report, Dmitry Semenov highlighted that the Financial University maintains a strong reputation within Russia and is highly regarded by all expert groups. The RAEX surveys include not only academic staff and employers but also students and alumni. Additionally, the university leads in the percentage of academic staff with scientific degrees and boasts high citation metrics according to the Russian Science Citation Index. The primary goal for 2026 is continued effective and dynamic development.
Dmitry Semenov also emphasized that ranking progress is a valuable tool for assessing how close the university is to achieving its development program goals and how its performance compares to other institutions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Valentina Lagireva, Deputy Head of the Personnel Department of the Federal Tax Service, presented certificates of appreciation from the Federal Tax Service to staff of the Faculty of Taxation,
Auditing, and Business Analysis, including:
Mikhail Eskindarov, President of the university
Vadim Zasko, Dean of the Faculty of Taxation, Auditing, and Business Analysis
Maria Basova, Deputy Dean for Academic and Methodological Work
Lala Kurbanalieva, Faculty Manager
Evgenia Lyalikova, Deputy Dean for Relations with Russian and International Partners
Tatyana Selyutina, Deputy Dean for Student Life
President Mikhail Eskindarov of the university awarded several honors:
Gratitude from the Russian Government to:
Nadezhda Demkina, Director of the College of Informatics and Programming
Elena Didenko, Vice-Rector for Continuing Education
Honorary Title of "Honored Worker of Education of the Russian Federation" awarded to:
Rasul Kochkharov, Deputy Dean for Scientific Work at the Faculty of Information Technologies and Big Data Analysis
Commendation from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education awarded to:
Alexander Fedotov, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure Development
Medal "For Services to the Financial University":
Yuri Vasyunkin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the CIS "International Assembly of Capitals and Major Cities"
Yuri Klimkin, Director of Special Projects, Department of Capital Construction, "Shvabe-Moscow" LLC
Aleksey Chepikov, Head of the Filyovsky Park District Administration, Moscow
Silver Badge "Honored Worker of the Financial University":
Maria Basova, Deputy Dean for Academic and Methodological Work
Elena Lebedeva, Manager of the Department of Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance
Evgenia Lyalikova, Deputy Dean for Relations with International Partners
Irina Merkulina, Deputy Dean for Scientific Work at the Faculty of Economics and Business
Maria Schalneva, Associate Professor at the Department of Corporate Finance and Management
Gratitude from the Rector to:
Alexander Alunov, Head of the Department of Information Technologies and Big Data Analysis
The university also awarded certificates for successful accreditation of educational programs by international and professional organizations, including faculties led by:
Vadim Feklin, Dean of the Faculty of Information Technologies and Big Data Analysis
Ekaterina Bezmertnaya, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business
Representatives from publishers like INFRA-M, KNORUS, KURS, Prometei, and Yurayt handed out awards for the best educational publications of 2025 to authors and teams from the university.
Deputy Rector for Academic and Methodological Work and Head of the Educational Programs Department, Natalia Sergeeva, introduced the draft study plans for bachelor’s, specialist, master’s, and PhD programs for admission in 2026.
The Academic Council approved the admission rules for 2026/2027, including the number of places and entrance exams for undergraduate, specialist, master’s, and postgraduate programs, as proposed by Svetlana Bryukhovetskaya, Vice-Rector for Marketing and Recruitment.
Professor Ekaterina Kameneva presented a new postgraduate program in Russian history (specialty 5.6.1) for approval.
The Council also decided to reallocate vacant places, funded by federal budget allocations, for participants in the special military operation.
Based on the report of the university secretary, Vita Zvyaginseva, the "Consensus" electronic voting procedure was approved for use in university elections, appointments, and awarding academic titles. The system, developed in-house, works on domestic tablets with the "Aurora" operating system.
After testing the system, a temporary working group was formed to independently evaluate its reliability and security. The group's head, HR Director Eduard Sukhov, presented their findings and authorized the system for university decision-making.
Once approved, voting on elections, appointment of academic titles, and other decisions will be conducted using the "Consensus" electronic voting system. The system is also recommended for use by faculty councils and branch committees.
Finally, Alexander Fedotov, Vice-Rector for Infrastructure, briefed the council on planned major repairs and maintenance projects for university buildings in 2026.
