The increase of foreign students' amount in 1961 served as a reason to open the Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Students. Since the very day of foundation about 6000 foreign students from 55 countries of the world (among them 2600 Diaspora-Armenians) have taken preparatory courses.

The Faculty has three Departments - Department of the Armenian Language, Foreign Languages and general academic subjects. During one academic year students get appropriate knowledge to get professional education in the Armenian language in further.

Students are distributed into following groups according to their level of their Armenian language knowledge:

• Students not having knowledge in Armenian
  
• Students having satisfactory knowledge
  
• Students having excellent knowledge in Armenian

The 3rd group usually consists of Diaspora Armenians. Lessons are taken according to the above-mentioned division.

The Department of Natural Sciences provides lectures in following subjects: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Informatics, and as for public sciences - History, Geography, Principles of Economics.

The experience obtained throughout the years makes studies in the Russian and Armenian languages effective owing to methodology. As the result during the first two years they are provided with the possibility to communicate. The second stage lets it possible to study special subjects in the mentioned languages.

The faculty compiles dictionaries, updates and compiles textbooks, which especially help foreign students to learn Russian and Armenian in proper way. It has also a reading-hall. In 2000 "Grammar Terms" trilingual dictionary was issued (Armenian, Russian, English), presently the new updated version of the dictionary is ready to be released (Armenian, Russian, English, German, French).

The Faculty has convenient hostel at its disposal next to the educational building. The hostel has a library, sports hall, lingophone and computer room.

The duration of studies in the Faculty is one year (1 September - 30 July), including winter holidays (one month).

Rules and Orders of Foreign Students' Entrance Examinations

Not only those students whose level of education corresponds to RA secondary school's program, but also those having satisfactory knowledge in Armenian may enter YSU Faculty for Foreign Students. Despite studying general academic subjects (Mathematics, History, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Foreign Languages, etc.), here the students have the opportunity to improve their knowledge in Armenian.

At the end of the academic year those foreign students, who have successfully taken their exams, may enter the corresponding faculty.

Those foreign students, who fluently speak Armenian and are able to successfully take exams and interviews to enter the preferred faculty.

Those foreign citizens who read and speak fluent Armenian and have a Bachelor's Degree can apply for Master's course. If the applicant continues his/her education in a different profession, he must take an entrance exam according to the Major of his/her chosen Faculty.

In rare cases foreign citizens will be given an opportunity to take the Master's course with an individual academic program (1-2 academic years).

Those foreign citizens who have a Master's degree and read and speak fluent Armenian and Russian can apply for post-graduate education. For a number of specialties the courses may be held also in English.

Foreign citizens applying for YSU should also present the following documents:

• Application to the rector, where the specialization should be noted
  
• Copy of Diploma verified by a notary office, where the studied subjects and the marks of taken exams should be noted
  
• Medical document
  
• Document on absence of AIDS
  
• Copy of passport
  
• Copy of birth certificate
  
• 6 photos of 4x5 size

Those who wish to enter as a researcher (1-2 academic years) or as a post-graduate student to get a degree of Candidate of Sciences (3 academic years) must also present the following additional documents:

• Educational plan and a brief article (annotation) on the future dissertation noting the title of the dissertation
  
• The list of officially verified published articles or 2-3 themes relating to the scientific thesis

The above-mentioned documents must be verified by the Armenian Embassy of the given country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The documents and reports are presented in Armenian, Russian or English.

Educational Program of Foreign Citizen-students

The third or fourth year students from foreign universities, who have satisfactory knowledge of Armenian, can also enter YSU for 1 academic year. They study major subjects of the faculty (8-10), as well as subjects suggested and taught in the university.

Dean of the faculty makes an individual plan for studying the given subject, which then is verified by the responsible person of the faculty and by the Vice-rector on Scientific Policy and International Cooperation. After graduation the student is given a certificate, where according to the academic hours the studied subjects are noted.