MGIMO has integrated an LMS (Electronic Learning Management System) in the educational process.

MGIMO was founded on 14 October 1944 by a special decree of the Soviet Government on the basis of the recently established School of International Relations of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

In 1989, admission on a commercial basis started and first students from Western countries began to arrive.

In 1994 MGIMO was granted university status but traditionally contains the word institute in its name.

[citation needed] In 2000, two educational divisions were established - Institute of Energy Policy and Diplomacy and School of Applied Economics and Commerce.

[citation needed] According to CNN, 1,200 students, faculty, and staff of the university signed an open letter in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

There are 19 corporate departments at MGIMO, e.g. of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia, of such companies as Rosneft, Transneft, ADV Group.

In 2019 it had cooperation agreements with more than 170 foreign partners from 57 countries – universities, diplomatic academies, institutes, and research centers.

Each year MGIMO has had special courses by foreign visiting professors, among them Robert Legvold and William Wohlforth.

[20] The Institute of International Studies of MGIMO comprises 12 research centers and accumulates the scientific and intellectual output of the university.

MGIMO is member of international organizations, including MGIMO contributes to the Russian Political Science Association,[21] the United Nations Association of Russia (RISA),[22] a number of Russian foundations and non-governmental organizations, as well as leading global think tanks.

The Volunteer Center, established in 2011, provides training for students to practice their skills at large international events.

), Russian Association of Public Relations Students[28] Notable MGIMO alumni include: Business personalities in Russia, who studied at MGIMO, include billionaires Alisher Usmanov, Dmitry Mazepin, Patokh Chodiev and Vladimir Potanin.

In 2006, the MGIMO Board of Trustees was established with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as its chairman.