Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University is said to have roots in the former German University of Königsberg – what was then East Prussia’s only university and the world’s second Protestant institution, founded in 1544. Following the Second World War, the city of Königsberg became part of the Soviet Union, and the university was closed and its German population expelled. Today, the university says it aims to maintain the ethos and traditions of the historic German institution. In 2005, during the 750th anniversary celebrations of the founding of Königsberg, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany announced that the university would be renamed Immanuel Kant Russian State University in honour of the influential German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Situated near Kaliningrad near the Polish and Lithuaniun borders, Immanual Kant Baltic Federal University’s unique position makes it a popular choice with Russian students seeking a European university experience. The campus’s close proximity to the Baltic Sea makes it well placed for beach and boat excursions. Kaliningrad’s rich history also makes it an attractive spot for tourism and students can visit cultural sites including the 19th century Amber Museum and Königsberg Cathedral. More than 14,000 students are enrolled at the university, which has around 900 teaching staff and boasts more than 300 education programmes. These include undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and some secondary and vocational training courses. Major fields of study include humanities, economics, natural sciences, transport and healthcare, with the largest proportion of students enrolled in humanities courses (around 37 per cent). In 2008, a new science party was established in order to boost the institution’s prospects as a research centre.