Professor shocked as students arrive exams in costumes after he jokingly told them to (Photo)

A Russian university professor was left baffled after challenging his students to dress up in costumes for extra points on an exam.

Engineering students at one of the universities in Ufa, south-central Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan turned up dressed in everything from sexy Santa outfits to Bugs Bunny costumes.The professor had reportedly joked that students would get bonus points for turning to to the Mechanics of Materials exam in carnival costumes.

A picture of the students sitting the exam in fancy dress made it onto Russian social media, showing them dressed as tigers, crocodiles and even a pirate.Some of the students were grateful to get some extra points while others reportedly complained about their professor's unorthodox teaching methods.

'We came to university to study, not to make silly jokes', one disgruntled student told a local newspaper.

 Another former student said they remembered how they had to perform a circle dance in order to receive permission to participate in the exam.

What made the carnival costume caper baffling for others was reportedly the fact that the professor is known mostly for having no sense of humour.

One student said:

 'He is a prickly guy who tolerates no mucking about, sniggering or joking in his lectures. 

'What made him think of ordering his students to dress up as if they were going on a carnival parade, God only knows.'

Mailonline