Saint Petersburg State University

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Saint Petersburg State University

Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет
Latin: Universitas Petropolitana
Other name	St Petersburg University
Former names	Petersburg Pedagogical Institute (1804–1814) Main Pedagogical Institute (1814–1819) Saint Petersburg University (1819–1821) Saint Petersburg Imperial University (1821–1914) Petrograd Imperial University (1914–1918) Petrograd State University (1918–1924) Leningrad State University (1924–1991)
Motto	Hic tuta perennat (Latin)
Motto in English	Here all in safety lasts
Type	Public
Established	1724; 300 years ago (1724)
Rector	Nikolai M. Kropachev
Administrative staff	13,000
Students	32,400
Undergraduates	26,872
Postgraduates	5,566
Address	7/9 Universitetskaya Emb., 199034 , Saint Petersburg , Russia
Campus	Both urban and suburban
Colours	Terracotta and gray[1]
Affiliations	APSIA, BRICS Universities League, Campus Europae
Mascot	Boris the Funny Looking Owl[2] Building details
The Twelve Collegia building on Vasilievsky Island is the university's main building and the seat of the administration.
Website	english.spbu.ru

Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; Russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the beginning has had a focus on fundamental research in science, engineering and humanities.

During the Soviet period, it was known as Leningrad State University (Russian: Ленинградский государственный университет). It was renamed after Andrei Zhdanov in 1948 and was officially called "Leningrad State University, named after A. A. Zhdanov and decorated with the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour." Zhdanov's was removed in 1989 and Leningrad in the name was officially replaced with Saint Petersburg in 1992.

It is made up of 24 specialized faculties (departments) and institutes, the Academic Gymnasium, the Medical College, the College of Physical Culture and Sports, Economics and Technology. The university has two primary campuses: one on Vasilievsky Island and the other one in Peterhof.