The history of the North-Western Institute of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL) began in 1968.

May 30, 1968 – the Minister of higher and secondary special education of the USSR issued an order to open a Training and Consulting Center (TCC) of the largest legal university of the Soviet Union - the All-Union Correspondence Law Institute (ACLI) in Vologda. The Training and Consulting Center was opened on August 1, 1968 and it admitted students to correspondence courses in specialist programs.

1988 – the Training and Consulting Center received the status of a Faculty of ACLI, and later of a Faculty of the Moscow Law Institute (MLI).

1992 –  a full-time department was established at the MLI Vologda Faculty.

1993 – the Moscow Law Institute received the name of the Moscow State Law Academy (the official abbreviation is MSAL).  At the MSAL Vologda Faculty, a new department appeared – for people with higher non-legal education to study law.

1998 – the MSAL Vologda Faculty was transformed into the MSAL Vologda Branch.

2009 – the Moscow State Law Academy was named after the academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Law, professor, long-term President of the MSAL - Oleg Emelyanovich Kutafin – and became the Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL).

2011 – a full time and distance-learning Bachelor’s program in Jurisprudence was initiated.

2012 – the MSAL Vologda  Branch was upgraded to the North-Western Institute (branch) of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL).

2016 – the North-Western Institute presented new Master’s programs in Jurisprudence, such as distance-learning courses Theory and practice of application of criminal law and criminal procedure law, and in 2018 – Master of private law and Lawyer in state and municipal bodies.

2019 – the North-Western Institute enrolled students for specialist programs Legal support for national security and Judicial and prosecutorial activities, and in 2020 for the Bachelor’s program State and municipal administration.

At present, the North-Western Institute of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL) is the largest and most prestigious scientific and educational legal center that trains highly-qualified specialists in jurisprudence to meet the needs of Vologda Region, the North-West and the Russian Federation.