Vladimir Sobyanin, rector of Novosibirsk State University, reported that the construction began on October 28, 2008 and that students would start living in the hostel in the autumn. "Will they be able to move in by September?" the Prime Minister asked. "Yes, they will," Mr Sobyanin replied.
The rector advised Vladimir Putin that the hostel's construction was estimated at 592 million roubles, "which means less than 30,000 roubles per square metre." Each room in the new hostel has a bathroom with a shower and is designed for two or four people. There is a shared kitchen on each floor.
The Prime Minister was also shown an information stand with a layout of the university's future main building.
Novosibirsk State University was founded in 1958. In 2009, it was assigned the status of a national research university.