In 2001 the Agricultural Academy received the status of Stavropol State Agrarian University. Currently, the strategy of the university is to create conditions for ensuring high quality of education and further successful career of graduates. The university is one of three leading agricultural universities in the rating of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Two years in succession the university was awarded the gold medal "European Quality" in the nomination "100 top universities of Russia."

More than 13,500 students study at the university, 32 educational programs are being realized. There are 11 faculties, 61 chairs, 30 innovative departments in the structure of the university. At present there are 8 academicians of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 14 academicians and 12 corresponding members of public academies, 131 Doctors of Philosophy and professors and 416 candidates of sciences and associate professors. The number of teachers having an academic degree is 90.1% – this is the highest figure in the system of agricultural education in Russia.

The training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel is realized in 34 postgraduate specialities and 8 doctoral specialities. The university has 4 dissertation councils entitled to award scientific degrees of Candidate and Doctor of Sciences in 11 specialities in the field of biological, agricultural, veterinary, and economic sciences. 292 doctoral and Candidate’s dissertations were defended in the dissertation councils of the university.

The university is expanding its international relations. Institutes of higher education of the USA, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Iceland and other European countries are among the partners of the university. The university has made and is realizing 195 association agreements with Russian and foreign institutes of higher education and research centres. SSAU has a master’s program with 35 leading European universities.