The Russian Cultural Centre (RCC) is the official home of Russian culture in the United States. It is an agency of the Russian Government, under the authority of the Foreign Ministry of Russia.
The RCC is subordinate to the Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo).
It was created pursuant to a bilateral agreement between the United States and Russia, adopted following the Summit of Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan in Geneva in 1985.
The purpose of the RCC is to develop and maintain positive relations between the Russian and American people by sponsoring activities in the five areas of Education, The Arts, Commerce, Athletics and Science.
The RCC cooperates with the numerous Russian-American organizations in both countries and has liaisons with universities, museums and other cultural institutions across the U.S. and Russia.
Russia is one of the few countries in the world that provide foreign applicants with the right to study free of charge in universities on par with Russian students.
Every year the government of the Russian Federation provides 15 000 spots for foreigners. Pass the competitive selection and obtain the grant within the quota, organized by Rossotrudnichestvo.
