Admission
Information on Admission
to the Distance Learning Department
Moscow Theological Academy
for the 2025/2026 Academic Year
____________________________________________________________
The Academy accepts students into the following main higher education programs via distance learning:
| Program Direction | Duration of Study |
| Training of Ministers and Religious Personnel of Religious Organizations (Bachelor’s Degree) (hereinafter Bachelor’s Program, Bachelor’s Degree) | 4.5 years |
| Training of Ministers and Religious Personnel of Religious Organizations (Master’s Degree) (hereinafter Master’s Program, Master’s Degree) | 2.5 years |
Number of Places for the Following Program Directions via Distance Learning for the 2025/2026 Academic Year:
| Program Direction | Количество мест |
| Training of Ministers and Religious Personnel of Religious Organizations (Bachelor’s Degree) | 70 (using distance learning technologies) |
| Training of Ministers and Religious Personnel of Religious Organizations (Master’s Degree) | 45 |
Admission Deadlines:
| Program Direction | Document Submission Period | Entrance Examination Dates |
| Training of Ministers and Religious Personnel of Religious Organizations (Bachelor’s Degree) | 1 мая — 1 июля 2025 года | July 3–5, 2025 |
| подготовка служителей и религиозного персонала религиозных организаций (магистратура) | 1 мая — 1 июля 2025 года | July 7–9, 2025 |
Applicants to the Bachelor’s program of the Distance Learning Department may be awarded a maximum of 10 points in total for the following individual achievements:
- Possession of educational certificates from Russian institutions with distinction (certificate of secondary general education with distinction, certificate of complete secondary education with distinction, certificate of complete secondary education for recipients of a gold or silver medal, diploma of secondary vocational education with distinction, diploma of primary vocational education for recipients of a gold or silver medal):
+5 points.; - Possession of a certificate as a winner or prize-winner of the final stage of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” Olympiad for 11th graders or the “Axios” Olympiad for 11th graders in the profiles: Fundamentals of Christianity, History of Russia, Social Studies, Russian Language, Church Slavonic Language:
+5 points..
Applicants to the Distance Learning Department of the MThA must submit the following documents:
1) Recommendation from the ruling bishop or parish priest, certified by the ruling bishop (original);
Application for admission addressed to the Rector (Appendix 1 of the Admission Rules);
Document(s)verifying identity and citizenship (copy);
For admission to the Distance Learning Department, citizens of other countries must provide a document confirming registration in their country (passport, residence permit).
4) Educational certificate of the established format (copy and original);
5) Two color photographs, 6x8 cm, on matte paper. If holding a clerical rank, photographs should be taken in attire corresponding to the rank;
6) Applicant questionnaire for the Academy (Appendix 3 of the Admission Rules) (original);
Autobiography (Appendix 4 of the Admission Rules) (original);
8) Baptism certificate (copy);
9) Mandatory health insurance policy issued at the place of permanent residence (for Russian citizens), or an international insurance policy (for foreign citizens) (copy);
10) Medical certificate Form 086/u (original);
11) Military ID or draft registration certificate (copy of the first page and the page with the military registration mark);
12) Certificate of tonsure as a reader (for readers) (copy);
13) Certificate of ordination to the rank of priest (or deacon) (for clergy) (copy);
14) Latest decree from the ruling bishop appointing to a parish (for clergy) (copy);
15) Certificate of monastic tonsure (for monastics) (copy);
16) Marriage registration and church marriage certificates (копии);
17) Applicants applying through requests from Synodal Departments of the Russian Orthodox Church must submit, along with the application and other documents, a recommendation from the chairman of the Synodal Department, signed by an authorized person and sealed.
IMPORTANT:
The absence of any document from the above list makes admission to the Distance Learning Department impossible.
Applicants who submit all required documents to the Admissions Committee on time will be invited to take the entrance exams.
Entrance exams for the Distance Learning Department are held according to the schedule set by the Administration and approved by the Rector of the MThA. Information about the timing of the entrance exams is posted on the MThA website.
EDUCATION AT THE DISTANCE LEARNING DEPARTMENT IS FREE.
To Master’s Program Applicants
Admission to the Master’s program of the Distance Learning Department of the MThA is open to clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church who have completed a Bachelor’s-level education at theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church (seminaries) and have defended their diploma. As an exception, laymen who are instructors at theological academies, seminaries, or colleges and lack a full higher theological education may also be admitted to the Master’s entrance exams.
Barriers to admission to the Master’s program via distance learning include the absence of certification in subjects studied at a theological seminary (including foreign and ancient languages) and an undefended final diploma thesis.
To be admitted to the Master’s program of the Distance Learning Department, applicants must successfully pass the following exams:
Minimum score for each exam: 51 points.
Enrollment in the 1st year of the Master’s program is announced after the Admissions Committee summarizes the results.
To Bachelor’s Program Applicants
The Bachelor’s program of the Distance Learning Department of the Moscow Theological Academy accepts clergy and laypeople of the Russian Orthodox Church aged 25 to 55 who are engaged in parish service and are not under church discipline or on leave.
Admission to the Bachelor’s program takes into account the representation of all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and the actual capacity of the Department to provide students with favorable conditions during examination sessions.
If a complete set of original documents required for admission is not provided, the applicant will not be allowed to take the entrance exams.
To be admitted to the Bachelor’s program of the Distance Learning Department, applicants must successfully pass the following exams:
- The Comprehensive Examination (minimum score: 51 points)
- Interview (minimum score: 51 points)
If Unified State Exam (EGE) results are unavailable [2]:
3. Russian (written, minimum score: 36 points);
4. History of Russia (written, minimum score: 32 points).
Applicants who successfully pass the entrance exams are enrolled in the 1st year of the Bachelor’s program by decision of the Admissions Committee. Those who do not achieve the passing score are offered training at the preparatory department, upon successful completion of which they may continue their studies in the Bachelor’s program.
Information about the timing of entrance exams is posted on the MThA website.
[1] Documents must be submitted strictly within the specified deadlines, in accordance with all requirements of the “Admission Rules.”
[2] Article 70, Clause 2 of Federal Law No. 273-FZ of December 29, 2012, “On Education in the Russian Federation”: “Unified State Exam results for admission to Bachelor’s and Specialist programs are valid for four years following the year in which such results were obtained.”
For all inquiries, contact:
+7(496) 540-93-78
Email: szo-mda@yandex.ru