History

Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”(ETU) was founded in 1886 as the Engineering College of the Department of Post and Telegraph of Russia.

In 1891 it was reorganised into the Imperial Institute of Electrical Engineering - the first in Europe higher education institution for training engineers and researches in the field of Electrical Engineering.
Professor of physics Alexander Popov, the inventor of the radio, was the first elected rector of the Institute.

Since its first days the Institute was recognized as a center of Electrical Engineering in Russia. Many outstanding Russian scientists worked as professors in the Institute.
In the first half of the 20th century acknowledged scientific schools were established in the Institute: Electrical Engineering, Electrical Communication and Radio Engineering, Electric Power Engineering and Electrochemistry, Electrovacuum Engineering, Electrical Drives, Ultrasonic Defectoscopy , High Frequency Electrothermy.

In twenties of the 20th century the Electrotechnical Institute took significant part in development of electrification plans of Russia.
After WW II the Institute started intensive development of new scientific areas: Radio Electronics and Cybernetics, Electrification and Automation of Industrial Equipment, Automatics and Telemechanics, Computer Science, Optoelectronics.

In early 90s the Institute launched new fields of study - humanities and economics. In 1990 the International School of Management was established, in 1993 the Faculty of Humanities was opened and in 1999 the Faculty of Economics and Management was organised.

In 1992 the Institute was granted the university status and became the first Electrotechnical University in Russia.
Today Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI” is one of the leading centres of higher education and research in Russia.