University History

The Belarusian State University of Foreign Languages began its independent activity as a higher educational institution on October 1, 1948. Originally named the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages, it became the Minsk State Linguistic University in 1993 before adopting its current name in 2025. It was established on the basis of the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the Minsk State Pedagogical Institute named after A. M. Gorky. From its inception, it was the only higher educational institution in the republic training teachers of foreign languages for secondary schools, lecturers for higher and secondary specialized educational institutions, and translators.

The university initially consisted of three faculties: English, German, and French.

Currently, the university's structure comprises seven faculties: English, German, Intercultural Communications, Romance Languages, Chinese Language and Culture, Translation, and the Faculty of Russian Language for Foreign Citizens. It also includes two institutes: the Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining and the Confucius Institute.

The first director of the institute was Candidate of Economic Sciences, Associate Professor Mikhail Fedotovich Zhavrid. Subsequently, the higher educational institution was headed by Rectors Frol Parfiryevich Shmygau, Nina Georgievna Krasnova, Vladimir Vasilievich Makarov, and Natalya Petrovna Baranava. Since 2020, the position of Rector has been held by Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Natalya Evgenyevna Lapteva.

In the 1948/49 academic year, 364 full-time students were enrolled, with 204 at the Faculty of English, 86 at the Faculty of German, and 74 at the Faculty of French. A correspondence department was opened in 1949. Until 1956, teacher training was conducted in one specialty. From September 1, 1956, a five-year course was introduced to train specialists in a foreign language and Russian or Belarusian, and from 1964, in two foreign languages.

At the time of its creation, the institute was located in the building of School No. 13 at 35 Pushkin Street, with city educational buildings repurposed as student dormitories. The first academic building, now building B, was commissioned in 1958, the second, building A, in 1964, the third, building V, in 1966, and building G, with a sports hall and assembly hall, in 1971. The first student dormitory for 400 places, now building D, began operating in 1957.

Since 1960, two-year foreign language courses for specialists sent to work abroad were organized, transformed in 1994 into the Special Faculty for Executives and Specialists.

In 1962, a Spanish language department was opened, leading to an independent faculty in 1967. In 1964, translation departments were formed at the English, German, and French faculties, which were merged into the Translation Faculty in 1969. Since 1979, the Faculty of Russian Language for Foreign Citizens has been training international students. In September 1994, the Faculty of Western European Languages, encompassing English, German, and French, began its work, later transformed in 2001 into the Faculty of Intercultural Communications. From 2006 to 2024, the Linguistic and Humanities College was part of the university structure.

More than 20 foreign languages are taught at the university, including Arabic, Italian, Chinese, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Swedish, and Japanese. The educational process is supported by the teaching staff of almost 40 university-wide and faculty departments, library staff, and numerous classrooms and language and culture centers.

Since 1962, the training of highly qualified scientific personnel began through postgraduate studies, followed by doctoral studies in 1992, and master's programs in 1997.

Over three-quarters of a century, the institution has trained over 40,000 foreign language teachers and tens of thousands of translator-referents and specialists in intercultural communication. Graduates are in demand in government bodies, the economy, finance, and tourism sectors, working across all continents in major international organizations and diplomatic missions.

Today, the linguistic university is the leading educational institution for training highly qualified teachers, lecturers of foreign languages, translators, and specialists in intercultural communication.

On its 75th anniversary, the institution stands as one of the best and most renowned linguistic universities in the Republic of Belarus, the CIS, Europe, and the world.