Systematic training of international students at the institute began in 1973, when students arrived from Jordan, Syria, Rwanda, Ecuador, Mali, Tanzania, Sudan, and Bulgaria — 12 people in total. Today, graduates of the university work in 101 countries around the world.
In 1974, a Russian language course was introduced. This marked the beginning of the history of the Department of Belarusian and Russian Languages. In 1975, the Department of Russian Language was officially established. For many years, from 1974 to 1999, the department was headed by Associate Professor Alla Vladimirovna Sannikova.
The following lecturers made a significant contribution to the development and establishment of the department: Maria Konstantinovna Gladysheva, Maria Leontyevna Gubar, Valentina Apollinariyevna Minetskaya, Alla Anatolyevna Sharapa, Nella Nikolaevna Lyudchik, and Zinaida Nikolaevna Sakhankova.
In 1990, a pre-university department for international students was opened within the department. From 1999 to 2006, it was headed by Associate Professor Alla Vladimirovna Sannikova, and from 2006 to June 2025 — by Senior Lecturer Lyudmila Alexandrovna Merenkova. Senior Lecturer Lyudmila Boleslavovna Yaros is responsible for methodological work at the pre-university department.
From 1999 to 2006, the department was led by Associate Professor Galina Nikolaevna Aksyonova, Ph.D. degree in Pedagogy, and from 2006 to 2015 by Associate Professor Valery Vladimirovich Bely, Ph.D. degree in Philology.
From 2015 to the present, the department has been led by Associate Professor Tatiana Nikolaevna Melnikova, Ph.D. degree in Philology.
Established in 1969, the pre‑university department for citizens of the Republic of Belarus was headed from 1992 to 2005 by Senior Lecturer Inessa Nikolaevna Sokolova, from 2005 to October 2023 by Senior Lecturer Elena Fyodorovna Yakimova, and from October 2023 to the present by Tatyana Leonidovna Drugachenko.
In 1997, the teaching of the Belarusian language was introduced, and the department was renamed the Department of Belarusian and Russian Languages. The pre‑university department for Belarusian students owes much of its development to Natalya Georgievna Matveeva, Olga Pavlovna Klimovets, Natalya Valeryanovna Ratynskaya, and Tatyana Leontievna Polyak.
The department boasts excellent teaching facilities and modern technical equipment. It has been awarded certificates and diplomas by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, and is a member of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, the Belarusian Public Association of Teachers of Russian as a Foreign Language, and the Belarusian Public Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature.