[2] Shirak State University is the largest educational institute in the northern part of Armenia.

Shirak State University has its own emblem as well as an anthem written by Sonik Khachatryan and composed by Robert Amirkhanyan.

[3] The university complex is located on Paruyr Sevak Street of Ani district at the northwestern suburbs of Gyumri.

[4] The first rector was S. Movsisyan who enrolled teachers from Gyumri as well as specialists from the capital Yerevan.

After the independence of Armenia in 1991, it became known as the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute named after Mikayel Nalbandian.