In recent years, the problem of the formation of ethnic tolerance of the individual has become one of the priority educational tasks throughout the world. The significance and importance of the problem under study is confirmed by a number of international and Russian legislative acts, which state that the content of education should facilitate the interaction between representatives of different nations, ensuring the development of spiritual, moral, socio-cultural qualities of the individual. We are of the opinion that the multicultural educational environment of a university is today becoming a place for the development of a student’s personality, his traditional cultural values, behavioral characteristics, social attitudes, ethnic tolerance. The aim of the research is to study the characteristics of the formation of students’ ethnic tolerance in the multicultural educational environment of the university. The main research methods are: theoretical analysis of the literature on the research problem, analysis of the results of questioning students of the Mari State University. Ethnic tolerance is considered as a socio-psychological characteristic of a person, characterizing the willingness to interact with representatives of ethnic groups, which can manifest itself in the form of social beliefs, strong-willed behavior. In modern pedagogy, ethnic tolerance is interpreted as a personality quality that characterizes a respectful attitude towards representatives of other nationalities, their religion, culture, views and customs. Ethnic tolerance is not inherent in a person from birth, it is acquired in the process of life, under the influence of many factors; family, school, higher educational institution become the most active institutions of ethnosocialization.