Relocation Tips: What You Need to Know About ITMO Dorms

What to expect?

The slums or a five-star hotel? Neither, naturally. All of the dormitories are slightly different, and even within one dormitory there are different types of housing, but in essence there are two types of them:

The corridor type: the rooms are located along a corridor. On each floor, there are common bathrooms, toilets and a kitchen.

The block type: more comfortable and cosy. Rooms are grouped into blocks with a common bathroom and toilet.

The rooms can accommodate 1 to 4 people; usually, 2 or 3 people live in each.

PhD students are offered accommodation in apartment-type dormitories - small apartments with all modern conveniences. Note that the dormitories do not provide any dishes or utensils, which means you will have to get your own.

Laundry

There are laundries in all of ITMO's dormitories where you can wash your clothing for an affordable price. Note that these laundries have particular working hours, so be sure to check their schedule first.

Please note that you will be not using the machine yourself, there will be a special operator, usually an elderly woman (babushka!) who will do it for you. This means that you need to bring your white and dark clothes separately if you wish them to be washed separately. And don’t forget to check your pockets!

Cafeteria

Some of the dormitories have cafeterias (such as the Vyazemsky dorms) – a great solution for those who are too busy with studies to cook themselves.

The cafeterias are open from 10 to 21 every day. The meals and prices are somewhat like at the cafeterias at the university campuses. There is also a piano that is free to use in the cafeteria.

Gym

Not all of the dormitories have gyms, and the gyms work according to a schedule that you should check beforehand. The schedule is usually posted on the noticeboard of the gym itself. Each visit is about 100 rubles (about 2 USD), you can also get a membership.

Rules!

The Rules & Regulations of the dormitories are quite strict, be sure to read them through and comply with them. You will receive this on arrival together with your contract. Yet you will surely find the living costs a pleasant surprise.

Curfew

In ITMO's dormitories, curfew starts at midnight. There's no entry into the dormitories between 12am and 6am. So, what about night tours, bridge watching, white nights and planes arriving in the middle of the night? Do not worry – you can get into the dormitories during the curfew, as well, you just have to notify the administration in advance.

Access cards

You can only get into the dormitory using your access card. One person means one access card, be sure to remember! What about guests? To bring a guest into the dormitory, you will have to order a single-use pass. To do that, you'll have to write a request to the dormitory administration.

The guests are to leave the dormitory before 11pm!

Quiet hours

From 10pm until 7am, it is forbidden to make noise, listen to loud music, sing in the bathroom, etc. Your neighbours have a right to rest, too!

Furniture, linen, and Internet

All of these things will be provided to you. Each room has beds, tables and wardrobes. If you need something else or want something replaced - you can do that with permission from the dormitory administration. Yet, note that you should consider your neighbors' comfort as well, so bringing in a baldachined queen-sized bed may be a little too much.

Living expenses

The dormitory rules may be strict, but you will definitely like the lodging costs. The price you'll pay for living for one month at ITMO's dormitories is less than 60 USD, the cost depends on the size and conditions of the room you’re staying in.

There are several ways to make payments. The easiest way is to do that at any of Bank St. Petersburg's offices via a payment terminal (it has an English interface option), with the help from a bank employee or by using the Bank St. Petersburg Internet Bank if you have an account there. You can download a presentation explaining all the details here.

Please note that if you'll be making these payments via a different bank, you may be charged an additional fee.

How do I apply for a spot in the dormitory?

It's all easy! All international students can apply for a place at the dormitory. When you send in your application documents via e-mail, state that you require dormitory lodging.

To move into the dormitory, you will have to provide certain medical documents. Submitting the documents is compulsory for all students.

The documents are:

⦁    Form 086-y certificate (with chest X-ray results). You keep the certificate, be           sure not to lose it.
⦁    Сopy of the form 086-y certificate;
⦁    Vaccination certificate (they will make a copy and return it to you);
⦁    Сopy of the medical insurance policy.

I don't want to live at the dormitory

You can rent a flat outside the city center for about 18-25 thousand rubles, depending on its condition and location. Many students rent two or three room apartments for about 3-5 students, and split the rent.

More info on the various dorms is available here (in Russian).

International Editorial Office