The Unified State Exam in history may be made mandatory for admission to universities.

      The Ministry of Education and Science proposes to include the history exam in the list of required tests for admission to a number of university humanities programs, Kommersant reports.

      According to the draft order, the Unified State Exam (USE) in history will become mandatory for admission to specialties such as "Jurisprudence," "Sociology," "Public Policy and Social Sciences," "Advertising and Public Relations," "Publishing," "Service," and "Customs Affairs."

      If the document is adopted, it will come into force on March 1, 2026, and remain in effect until September 1, 2029.

      Currently applicants take three exams: Russian language, a profile subject, and a third USE of their choice. For humanities programs the profile subject is usually social studies, and the third subject is chosen by the university or the applicant.

      If the amendments are adopted, applicants will have the option to choose between history and social studies. At the same time, universities will be able to make history a mandatory exam, removing the alternative.

      The initiative followed a proposal by MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov, who in June at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin proposed making history mandatory for all applicants to humanities and socio-economic programs. Putin supported the idea, noting that he himself took history when applying to university.