The Alecu Russo Balti State University (Romanian:Universitatea de Stat "Alecu Russo" din Bălți) is the second biggest university in Moldova.[citation needed]. It is named after the 19th century Romanian illuminist and ethnologist Alecu Russo.

The original complex of buildings in the 1930s housed the financial administration, as well as three high schools (two of which were girls-only) and has the characteristic architecture of the time. The university was founded in 1946. Languages (English, French, German, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian), mathematics, physics, some engineering, law, economics, music education, pedagogy, sociology, and psychology are offered at Bachelor and Master levels. There is a Ph.D. programme.[citation needed]Many of its buildings have been added or re-furbished more recently. The courses and specialties are offered in Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and English. The university houses one of the biggest libraries in the southeastern Europe, and is an important member of the implementation of the Bologna process in Moldova.