 In 1864 he finished the school and entered the Law faculty of the Moscow State University.After graduation he worked in the Criminal Department of the Senate but left it a year after and in 1869 returned to the University for academic studies in Roman law.As a young student, Bogolepov was inclined towards revolutionary activity, like all young students, but once he had been accepted by the establishment, he became "a mere tool in the hands of the Procurator of the Holy Synod."