Yekaterinburg universities make physics compulsory for many majors

The university admissions campaign in Yekaterinburg will proceed under new rules this time. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science is making changes for the second consecutive year during the academic year. Meanwhile, schoolchildren must choose the subjects they will take for the Unified State Exam (USE) by February 1.

Authorities have raised the minimum scores required for university admission, and for some fields, they have changed the list of entrance exams. Here are more details on all the changes in Ural universities.

Ural Federal University (UrFU)

The press service of Ural Federal University reported that the changes affect engineering specialties: in many programs, physics has become a mandatory subject instead of specialized mathematics.

Thus, at UralENIN UrFU, one now needs to take the USE in physics to enroll in:

• «electrical power engineering»;

• «thermal power engineering»;

• «power engineering»;

• «nuclear power plants».

The changes also affected the physics and technology department at UrFU. Here, physics is now mandatory, and one must also take either mathematics or computer science (these are elective subjects) to enroll in programs:

• «electronics and nanoelectronics»;

• «instrument engineering»;

• «nuclear physics and technologies».

At INMT UrFU, physics has become necessary for enrollment in programs related to laser technology and optotechnology. At IRIT-RTF UrFU—for specialties such as «radio-electronic systems and complexes», «radio engineering», and others.

«We wonder: will we be able to find such a number of applicants who have taken physics across the country? — suggested Yulia Popova, director of the new admissions center at UrFU. — This is a serious problem for current graduates, especially since it’s impossible to learn physics in six months.»

Ural State Mining University (UGGU)

There are not many changes at the Mining University. On almost all programs, the same elective subjects remain (for some profiles—up to five subjects), except for «electrical power engineering and electrical engineering», now, to enroll there, one must take the USE in Russian language, specialized mathematics, and physics.

Ural State Forestry University (UGLTU)

At the Forestry University, new admission rules will be published any day now. The university«s press service told E1.RU that on most programs, the exams remain the same.

«We have expanded the list of individual achievements that give applicants additional points, which means it will increase their chances of admission,» shared UGLTU.

In addition, in the new academic year, the university will introduce two new specialties:

• for bachelor«s degree—«innovation. Innovation management»;

• in college—«transport organization and management (by type)».

Ural State Law University (UrGJuU)

At Ural Law University, there are practically no changes: for all applicants, two USE subjects remain mandatory—Russian language and social studies.

The third elective subject depends on where the applicant plans to enroll:

• «jurisprudence», «legal support of national security»—history, foreign language, or computer science;

• «judicial and prosecutorial activity»—history or computer science.

Ural State Agrarian University (UrGAU)

Ural State Agrarian University reported that they will start accepting documents on June 20. The university will open 1,010 state-funded places, including 30—funded by the regional budget—for college students.

There is another novelty: graduates of colleges and technical schools will be able to enroll in the university only in specialties related to their obtained qualifications.

On the «tourism» program (profile «agritourism»), there will no longer be state-funded places, only paid ones. Exclusively on a paid basis, one can also enroll in specialties:

• «ecology and environmental management» (profile «environmental safety»);

• «land transport and technological means» (profile «technical means of the agro-industrial complex»).

However, there will be more state-funded places on programs:

• «biotechnology» (15 places);

• «food products of animal origin» (10 places);

• «veterinary medicine» within secondary vocational education programs (60 places will open instead of 15).

Ural State University of Railway Transport (UrGUPS) and Ural State University of Economics (UrGEU)

Ural State University of Railway Transport told E1.RU that on the «electrical power engineering and electrical engineering» program, the mandatory USE subject has become physics. As an elective, one can take either mathematics or computer science.

However, at the University of Economics, there will be no changes in the university admission rules for the new academic year.

Read experts« and teachers» opinions on how raising the minimum USE scores will affect schoolchildren and admissions campaigns.

Recall that at the very end of December 2024, the Ministry of Education and Science changed the list of entrance exams, and universities had to abruptly change admission rules. This caused outrage among parents of applicants, who had only six months left to prepare for the USE in other subjects.

Read about how much it cost to enter university in the 2025 academic year. Each year, higher education becomes increasingly inaccessible for those who do not get into state-funded places.