VolSU students complained about being forced to apply for a bank card.

The introduction of the VTB card as a pass at Volgograd State University has sparked outrage among students. The university claims that only the new campus cards grant access to the institution, and students had to spend a significant amount of time in line to receive the card. Lawyers deemed the university's actions a violation of the law.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," in the fall of 2024, during major renovations carried out during the academic year, Volgograd State University administration offered students living in the dormitory a temporary eviction in exchange for accommodation with other students or rent compensation. The students were concerned by the university administration's decision.

Students considered the university administration's demands coercive

Since June 1, an order from Rector Alla Kalinina "on the introduction of an access control system (ACS) at VolSU facilities" (dated May 14, 2026, No. 01-07.1-491, available to the editors) has been posted on the VolSU information board. This order is also posted on the VolSU website. It states that, starting June 1, the ACS must be implemented "based on campus cards issued by VTB Bank." The order makes no mention of the possibility of using other passes (student and graduate student ID cards, library cards, dormitory passes, etc.).

The VolSU website also states that "starting June 1st, entry to academic buildings is restricted to campus cards."

Crowds of people standing in lines. It's stuffy.

"At the beginning of June, the university was in a state of panic. Everyone rushed to take photos in the video studio in Building D and to register in the basement (in the accounting department). The staff, understandably, can't keep up with such a flood of people. Crowds of people standing in lines. It's stuffy. A girl became ill in front of me. I don't understand why it was necessary to create such a rush in such a short time. "And it's completely unclear why we need this bank card when we were able to get by with student and library cards," a VolSU student who identified herself as Tatiana told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

Her friend Svetlana was also outraged by the situation that unfolded at the university in early June. The girl doesn't understand why it was necessary to introduce a VTB card as a university pass.

"It's very strange that our management has been so quick to implement these innovations. And I'm very concerned about the possibility of our personal data being used for fraudulent purposes. Previously, this data was stored within the university, but now it's been sent outside—to VTB offices. "The possibility of them leaking to scammers has increased significantly," Svetlana said, noting that she doesn't understand what kind of bank card it is: debit, credit, or something else.

Both girls noted that the dean's office "strictly advised" students not to "blather" about this situation in the media. They also noted that "for now, they're letting students into the university with student ID cards," "since not everyone has yet obtained a bank card," but that will end soon.

"It's clear they want to quietly hush up the conflict. So, we're giving interviews anonymously, as reprisals could follow. But we can't keep this outrage under wraps. It's a very shady scheme," Svetlana said.

The guy wasted a lot of time in that crowd. And he doesn't want to apply for this bank card at all.

The mother-in-law of one of VolSU's students, Evgeny Podshivalov, also expressed her outrage at the conflict that had developed at the university. Her son-in-law also spent two days "in the basement" in the registration line.

"The guy wasted a ton of time in this crowd. And he doesn't want to apply for this bank card at all. He doesn't understand why! The university didn't hold any educational talks with students and staff. They were simply ordered to apply for the card—and that's it. And they were given less than a month to do it," the woman said indignantly.

"I see corruption here." "I hope the prosecutor's office will investigate the legality and selflessness of this campaign," Evgeniya concluded.

Lawyers saw signs of violations in the university's actions

Lawyer Sergey Ivaschenko also saw signs of corruption in this situation.

"The supervisory and investigative bodies have a lot to look into here." "From my cursory review of the publicly available documents (on the VolSU website), it's clear that this constitutes a serious administrative violation," Ivaschenko stated.

The lawyer pointed out that the Rector's Order "On the Introduction of an Access Control System for VolSU Facilities" (dated May 14, 2026) violates the Regulation on Internal Facilities and Access Control on VolSU Grounds and Facilities (dated January 11, 2024, No. 01-23-2227), also signed by Rector Kalinina. The Regulation states that student ID cards, record books, postgraduate certificates, VolSU employee ID cards, library cards, and electronic access system cards can serve as passes to VolSU facilities and grounds.

"In Kalinina's Order of May 14, we see that all listed types of passes, except for electronic access system cards, are unacceptable. This flagrantly violates the requirements of the Regulation we are reviewing, which have legal precedence. Thus, in paragraph 1.4 of the Regulation, we read: "Other local regulations, orders, and directives issued on access control at VolSU must not conflict with these Regulations." In other words, Kalinina has flagrantly violated her own Regulations. The prosecutor's office should be interested in this and, in general, conduct a thorough investigation of VolSU's management for signs of corruption," said Sergei Ivashchenko. Lawyer Platon Ananyev, in turn, saw signs of a violation of civil law principles in the actions of VolSU's management in the form of "coercion" (Article 421 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, "Freedom of Contract"). He noted that citizens and legal entities are free to enter into contracts. Coercion to enter into an agreement is not permitted, "except in cases where the obligation to enter into an agreement is provided for by this Code, law, or a voluntarily accepted obligation."

Platon Ananyev saw signs of abuse of office in the actions of VolSU management (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), namely, "the use by an official of their official powers contrary to the interests of the service, if this act is committed out of selfish or other personal interest and entails a significant violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens or organizations, or the legally protected interests of society or the state."

Both lawyers interviewed by the correspondent suggested that the prosecutor's office and other supervisory and investigative bodies conduct an investigation of VolSU management for signs of corruption in the campaign to replace the university's access control system.

The bank stated that the card is issued only upon request.

Campus Project It is an educational institution infrastructure management system that integrates various segments into a single digital environment. At the core of the system is a campus card. It is used to deposit stipends and salaries for university employees, serves as a pass to the university or college campus, and serves as a key for entering electronically locked classrooms. This prevents unauthorized access to the educational institution for security purposes, Kommersant reported in 2023, announcing the launch of the VTB campus card project in the Samara Region.

Among the universities that have already implemented the VTB campus card system are Moscow Polytechnic, Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, and the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, according to information on the universities' websites.

Campus cards are issued with the consent of employees and faculty.

The bank stated that the card is issued to students only at their own discretion, and not under duress.

"If an employee or student prefers to use a regular plastic pass instead of a VTB card to enter the building, they can still obtain one at the university. Campus cards are issued with the consent of employees and faculty. Cardholders can use it not only as a pass, but also for payments, purchases and cash deposits, and you can choose a card from any other bank," V1 quotes a VTB press service employee as saying.