University hopes high for stable influx of international students

Despite international sanctions, leading Russian universities are hoping for a stable influx of foreign students this year, mainly from Asian and African countries. Before February 2022, universities had recorded increases in the numbers of foreign students – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a serious shake-up of the international student sector.

According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, since 2017 the number of international students in Russian higher education institutions has increased by 64,000 people. In the 2017-18 academic year, 260,000 foreign students studied in Russia and the number grew to 324,000 in 2021-22.

“The demand for Russian higher education among foreigners is growing every year. This is also confirmed by the May statements of the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Valery Falkov, who said that more than 345,000 foreign students currently study in Russia,” the spokesman said.

According to ministry data, most international students are enrolled for a bachelor degree. In the 2017-18 academic year, there were 174,429 foreign bachelor degree students, 57,899 studying for a specialist degree and 27,723 for a masters degree. In the 2021-22 academic year, these figures rose to 196,061, 83,915, and 44,095 people, respectively.

A significant proportion of these students are enrolled in major Russian universities.

According to the ministry, the share of foreign students in domestic universities participating in the Project 5-100 initiative – a project aimed at promoting five Russian institutions into the world’s top 100 universities – was 11% in 2018 and 14.41% in 2020.

No massive foreign student outflows

Representatives of leading Russian universities said they are currently not registering any massive outflows of international applicants and students – not even from so-called ‘unfriendly’ countries. Meanwhile, demand for studying in Russian universities from citizens of certain Asian countries and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is growing.

Ivan Prostakov, vice-rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE), one of Russia’s most prestigious universities, commented in an exclusive interview.

“The geography of foreign applicants wishing to enter the Higher School of Economics has not fundamentally changed. At present citizens from more than 140 countries apply to study in our university,” he said.

“As before, the vast majority of applicants are from friendly countries, that is, from CIS countries, Asia, Africa. At the same time, it is still too early to make any forecasts for admission, as the admission campaign is currently ongoing.”

Irina Abankina, director of the Institute of Education at HSE and one of Russia’s leading higher education experts, does not believe there has been a major drop in the number of foreign students in Russia due to the military conflict and sanctions.

She told the Vedomosti business paper that the influx of students from countries of Eastern Europe, the Baltic states and Ukraine to domestic universities has been insignificant in recent years.

Abankina said: “On the contrary, students from CIS countries – particularly such states as Tajikistan or Kazakhstan – continue to actively come to Russia at present. As a rule, they usually do not apply to major Russian universities but rather those located in vast Russian provinces, among which are Barnaul, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg.

“These students and applications will continue to consider Russian universities as the place of their study. Still, the ‘atmosphere of uncertainty’ could affect the decision of new students to come to Russia.”

Yury Zinchenko, an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, predicts an influx of foreigners: “A smaller number of students from the European Union and Eastern Europe will continue to go to Russia, but we are already seeing an increase in the influx of students from China, Vietnam and Central Africa. The demand for education in the Russian Federation among students from Syria and Iran is also growing.”

According to him, there is now also a tendency for applicants from CIS countries who aimed to study in Europe or the United States to change their plans, “because of the not always loyal attitude towards immigrants from the territory of the post-Soviet space in some Western countries”.

Growing demand from China and Africa

Meanwhile, demand to study in Russian universities is reportedly growing among students from some Asian countries – particularly China – as well as Africa.

According to the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the number of Chinese students who choose Russian universities is growing every year. The ministry has reported that there are presently an estimated 33,000 Chinese students studying at Russian universities, including their foreign branches.

As part of state plans, these figures will grow significantly this year, as attracting students from China has become one of the priorities of Russian authorities in recent months. Big hopes are being pinned on attracting students to the Far Eastern Federal University, Russia’s largest university in the region. As of now, the university has signed more than 20 academic exchange agreements with universities in China.

The number of African students at Russian universities is estimated to be more than 25,000 students from more than 50 African countries, according to earlier data from Rossotrudnichestvo (the Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation) and other sources.

The government hopes that these figures will double between 2022 and 2024, through more active promotion of Russian higher education across the African continent.

Currently, demand for studying in Russia among Africans is high, as Russian university courses are cheaper than in the West. Also, given the good quality of education, students are guaranteed employment opportunities in their homelands. In addition, the Russian government is ready to provide state-funded places for some applicants from Africa.