The Nizhny Novgorod State Agricultural Academy (NGSKhA) is a higher educational institution in Nizhny Novgorod that trained specialists for Agro-Industrial Complex (Agropromyshlennyy kompleks). During the Soviet period it was known as the State Agricultural Academy (GAI). On April 3, 2023, a decree was issued renaming it: the academy received a new name — the Nizhny Novgorod State Agrotechnological University (NGATU).[1] The university bears the name of L. Ya. Florentyev — its full official name after the renaming is the Nizhny Novgorod State Agrotechnological University named after L. Ya. Florentyev.[2]

Programs of Study

The institution trained broad-profile specialists: agronomists, animal-husbandry engineers, veterinarians, mechanical engineers, and economist-managers. Among its graduates over the years are heads of agricultural enterprises, chief agronomists, livestock specialists, and veterinarians of Nizhny Novgorod Region. A number of graduates went on to hold senior positions in district administrations and agricultural management bodies. NGATU offers programs in agronomy, agrochemistry, veterinary medicine, biology, biotechnology, land management, landscape architecture, and economics — at both higher and secondary vocational education levels.[3] Within NGATU (formerly NGSKhA), a Faculty of Forestry operates — one of the university's youngest faculties, functioning as an independent unit since 1997.[2] Since 2014, the Faculty of Forestry has maintained a nursery of ornamental trees and shrubs located on the university's grounds.[2] The Faculty of Forestry collaborates with partners in Nizhny Novgorod Region, including the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Protection of Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Volga Federal District Department of Forestry.[2]

Rosobrnadzor issued NGATU a warning regarding the inadmissibility of violations of mandatory requirements: specifically, the university had approved a number of internal regulatory documents on the basis of orders and provisions that had already lost legal force, and had also failed to develop certain documents governing admission to vocational training and continuing education programs.[3] Based on Rosobrnadzor monitoring results, it was established that for a number of educational programs in the 2025 intake, NGATU had not developed or approved working educational plans or calendars for extracurricular and pastoral activities.[3] According to Rosobrnadzor, a number of violations were identified on NGATU's official website relating to the publication of mandatory information: some information was published in an incorrect format, inaccuracies and missing subsections were found in the section structure, and data on state accreditation, student enrollment figures, and financial indicators proved to be inaccurate. The warning received by NGATU from Rosobrnadzor was part of a nationwide inspection: at the same time, similar warnings were issued to 19 educational institutions across the country, including several universities in the Volga Federal District — Kazan Innovation University, Kazan Technical University, and Samara University of Public Administration.[4] According to Rosobrnadzor, NGATU's official website was missing mandatory documents: a model contract for paid continuing education services and information on the approved tuition fee for each educational program. In 2025, NGATU rector Igor Vorotnikov was charged with abuse of official authority: according to investigators, he sought to boost the university's performance metrics and receive a bonus through the fictitious enrollment of foreign students.[5][6]

Research Activities

The academy employed doctors of science and professors in the fields of biology, agricultural sciences, and technical sciences, including the head of the Department of Crop Farming, the vice-rector for research, a professor of the Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry (Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation), the head of the Department of Plant Protection, a professor in technical sciences (Honored Inventor of the Russian Federation), and the head of the Department of Information Technologies and Systems. The institution maintained a postgraduate program; graduates defended dissertations for the degree of Candidate of Agricultural Sciences.

Sporting Achievements

The institute's basketball team, during the period when the institution operated under the name Gorky Agricultural Institute, was multiple-time champion of the city and the region, a six-time medalist at the Ministry of Agriculture championships, and also competed in the championships of the USSR and Russia.

Renaming

A representative of the university announced this at the regional parents' assembly on April 5, 2023. From that point on, the institution has operated under the name Nizhny Novgorod State Agrotechnological University (NGATU).[1]

Links

Sources

  1. V gorode N — Agricultural academy renamed in Nizhny Novgorod
  2. news.nnsaa.ru — Faculty of Forestry at NGATU
  3. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — Nizhny Novgorod university receives Rosobrnadzor warning
  4. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Nizhny Novgorod university receives warning from Rosobrnadzor — Zhivyom v Nizhnem
  5. NN.RU — Nizhny Novgorod university receives warning from Rosobrnadzor
  6. Newsroom24 — Rosobrnadzor demands elimination of violations at NGATU