MESI is one of the oldest educational institutions. The institute was founded in 1932 as a higher education establishment to provide education and training for the areas of statistics, economics, and informatics. At that time it was known as the Moscow Institute of National Economic Accounting and in 1945 was renamed the Moscow Economic and Statistical Institute (MESI). In 1996 it was granted university status. From the moment it was founded, MESI was set up as the country’s only leading educational centre training multi-skilled economist-statisticians, as a centre for perfecting methodology of statistical sciences, and was well-known not only in Russia but also abroad. From 1932 to 1954, MESI graduated only economist-statisticians for state statistical authorities. During the Great Patriotic War (World War II), the institute was evacuated to the city of Engels, Saratov Region. In the summer of 1942 it graduated economist-statisticians and enrolled new students for the first year of study. It was not until a year later when the institute returned to Moscow and resumed its work. In the post-war period, the country needed broad deployment of computing equipment. In connection with this, the most important landmark in MESI’s history was heralded when the ‘Mechanisation of Accounting’ department was established with its graduates assigned qualification of engineer economists. Later MESI became the head institute, carrying out methodical leadership for training engineer economists in 32 institutions across the country. In the late 1960s, there were massive efforts to create automated management systems, and in the early 1970s MESI started training of systems engineers for various levels of the national economy management. In the 1990s, wide use of personal computers began which influenced the development of the institution. At that time MESI starts active application of computer technology in its training programs. Today MESI is distinguished form other colleges due to its active use of e-learning technology. MESI implements all levels of education, from school graduates preparation to adults learning, and offers a wide range of programmes for further professional education and MBAs. By its record of work during all its years, MESI has confirmed its status as one of the country’s leading institutions for training qualified staff in economics. At present, MESI is a leading university in the application of the latest technology in education, and ranks one of the top ten largest and elite economics universities in Russia.