Institute for Nobles

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Institute for Nobles (Russian: Дворянский Институт) was a form of boys-only boarding school in the Russian Empire that provided secondary education in the 19th century. It was similar to a high school or gymnasium but was only open to boys from noble families, and students were usually required to live on the premises. Tuition and accommodation in these institutions were free, and they were considered as a form of support to the impoverished noble families for their service to the Russian crown.

The first Institute for Nobles was opened in Moscow in 1833. In 1838 the Second Gymnasium of Vilna (in what is now Lithuania) was reorganized into an Institute for Nobles. In 1843 the Penza Institute for Nobles was opened, followed by the Nizhny Novgorod Institute for Nobles that was opened in 1844. There was also an Institute for Nobles in Warsaw.

Most of these Institutes for Nobles were closed in 1863. Only the Alexander II Nizhny Novgorod Institute for Nobles survived into the twentieth century, but it was closed after the October Revolution.

Graduates of these institutes had the rights of the graduates of gymnasiums, in addition they had rights to enter universities without entrance examinations.

By the end of the 19th century these institutes were abolished.