The majority of foreign students studying in Russia are from the CIS countries. This is facilitated by the preserved social and cultural ties, as well as a good knowledge of the Russian language. Citizens of far-abroad countries are guided primarily by economic considerations and the good reputation of leading Russian universities. At the same time, they often consider Russia an unsafe country and leave it on the list of alternative alternatives. This was shown by a study conducted by Alena Nefedova , senior researcher, associate professor at the Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Education as an export
Russia is one of the leading countries in terms of the number of foreign students. In 2018-2019, according to the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, about 280,000 foreign citizens studied in the country.
At the state level, the export of educational services is designated as a strategically important task. In 2013, 21 Russian universities received additional subsidies under the 5-100 project to increase their competitiveness in the global education market. In addition, in 2017 the government approved a special program called "Development of the export potential of the Russian education system" . Part of this program was the development of a special information platform "Study in Russia" , which is intended for foreign students and represents more than 500 Russian universities.
From 1999 to 2016, the number of students worldwide studying outside their home country has grown from two million to five million.
Despite the fact that Russia has been successful in the global education market, there is very little information about the reasons why foreign students choose Russian universities. Alena Nefedova from the National Research University Higher School of Economics decided to fill this gap.
The author interviewed 40 students pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in Russia. Among them - 14 girls and 26 boys, 18 of them represent the CIS countries, 22 - non-CIS countries. Data collection took place from September 2016 to February 2017.
Statistics of internation students
Most foreign students in Russia are citizens of the CIS countries. Kazakhstan is traditionally the leader - about 68 thousand people studied in 2018-2019. Next, with a significant margin, are Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine.
Number of international students by country (2018-2019)
The author considered the results separately for two groups - students from the CIS and Baltic countries and other countries, since they differ significantly from each other in terms of the structure of motivation for obtaining education in Russia. The study used a theoretical "Push-pull" model.
The "push-pull" model is used in studies of migration processes. Push factors for migrants from their home country can be, for example, unemployment or a low standard of living. Examples of pull factors are economic stability, suitable climatic conditions, and political structure.
It turned out that one of the "push" factors for students from the CIS countries is the lack of jobs at home, as well as the low quality of higher education at home. Respondents spoke about this more often than about the problem of access to higher education or the lack of necessary specialties. In the CIS countries, as the researcher notes, there are quite a lot of universities, including branches of foreign or Russian universities.
In general, regarding the “push” factors, the researcher concludes that, first of all, they are determined by the state of the labor market in the CIS countries, as well as the quality of education. In some cases, the lack of access to university courses in Russian at home (Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan) and the unstable political environment (Ukraine) play a big role.
One of the circumstances that young people from Russian-speaking families in the CIS countries face is the language barrier. Because of it, young people experience a shortage of jobs and therefore go to Russia. “I'm going to stay in Russia. It is impossible or difficult to find a job in Turkmenistan without a perfect knowledge of the Turkmen language,” says a student at ITMO University (St. Petersburg), from a Russian-speaking family in Turkmenistan.
As for the cost of education, it is more profitable for students from the CIS countries to study at home, mainly due to lower costs for food and housing. The very cost of studying at home can be comparable to Russian, or lower. In some cases, students in Russia receive special scholarships for foreign citizens.
In the course of the interviews, the respondents noted many “attractive” factors in the choice of education in Russia. But among the most frequently mentioned were the following:
general awareness of Russia (including the recognition of Russian diplomas in the homeland and the quality of Russian education);
personal recommendations of relatives and friends;
social connections in Russia.
Awareness about Russia and Russian universities in the CIS is promoted by Russian centers of science and culture, which operate in different countries under the auspices of Rossotrudnichestvo. School teachers also play a role, maintaining links with Russian universities.
Education in Russia is often seen as an opportunity for subsequent migration following the applicant's parents who have already emigrated. “My father lives here. He came here three years ago and called me, - says a student of the Baltic Federal University. Immanuel Kant from Kazakhstan. “So I decided to stay here.”
In some cases, students choose Russian cities for reasons of convenience and proximity to the border of their native country. For example, Tomsk traditionally attracts applicants from Kazakhstan, as it is located close to its border. For young people from the CIS countries, the Russian climate is not a serious problem, and they do not feel like foreigners in Russia.
As for the choice of one or another university, the popularity of the university, as well as its presence on the Internet, turned out to be an important factor. Not all Russian universities are well represented online, the author of the study notes. “You can talk about the HSE and other universities, because initially I liked a very well-developed website where you can find any information,” says an HSE student from Moldova. Not everyone is concerned about this. But I really studied the schedule and courses to understand what I need and how I can organize my training.”
Other factors that play an important role in choosing a university are the ranking of the university, the impression of visiting the admission committee, the availability of double degrees, the amount of tuition fees, and the infrastructure of the educational institution.
Fallback
Most often, young people from far-abroad countries choose to study in Moscow and St. Petersburg. And one of the significant factors, in addition to infrastructure and the availability of well-known universities, is the level of English proficiency among local residents. In addition, other Russian cities are little known to foreign students.
It turned out that students from far-abroad countries do not have such a problem at home as limited access to higher education. Only a few respondents indicated this.
Unlike young people from the CIS countries, students from far abroad do not know Russia well and say that it was difficult for them to find impartial information about the country, Russians and life here. Many said that they came across negative information.
Here is what a graduate student from Novosibirsk State University, who arrived from Venezuela, says: “I was looking for information in Spanish or in English - and I found some, but it seemed politically tinged. You can find information that Russia is a terrible place to live, or, on the contrary, they say that Russia is a good place to live <...> I did not find normal stories about what it is like to be a foreigner and live in Russia» .
After getting acquainted with the available information, as young people noted, Russia looks like an unsafe country to live in and politically aggressive. But in some cases, Russia is also perceived as a close, friendly country - thanks to past ties (as, for example, for students from China) or existing agreements at the state level.
“Russia and Nigeria are allies, friends. There is an exchange agreement between the countries, notes a master's student from one of the universities of Samara, who arrived from Africa. — This year even more Nigerian students will come to Russia. I mean, it happens every year."
From weather to prejudice
Foreign students, as the researcher notes, classify studying in Russia as “expanding experience and getting out of the comfort zone.” Among the perceived challenges is the Russian winter. “Oh yes, I did my own mini-research on how things are in Russia and about Russia as a whole, in terms of weather,” a RUDN student from Jamaica laughs. “My mother was very worried about the weather.”
Recommendations from friends, acquaintances, relatives concerning Russia, students from far abroad countries receive much less often than boys and girls from the CIS countries. Although there are exceptions, when young people are surrounded by graduates of Soviet universities - teachers, older relatives, etc.
As alternatives to Russia, respondents often named the United States, Great Britain and Germany. And Russia is often perceived more as a fallback.
One of the factors that contributes to the choice of Russian universities is the level of financial costs - it is lower. This makes it easier to collect the package of necessary documents. However, the social costs of studying in Russia appear to be greater for young people. For example, respondents are often sure that there is a high level of racism in Russia and there are no guarantees that they will receive legal protection in the event of conflicts on this basis. “Many Russians do not like black people. What we are used to hearing is that you come to Russia, a white man sees a black man and leaves him. It was hard for me to get used to it. There are a lot of blacks in countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, so it will be easier for me if I go there,” says an HSE master’s student from Ghana.
Another of the problems that international students face is finding a job during and after graduation. The labor market in Russia, as the author notes, provides very limited opportunities for students who do not speak Russian.
As for choosing a university, applicants from non-CIS countries approach it more carefully than applicants from the CIS, especially those who pay their own tuition fees. Academic reputation, online presence and accessibility are often the only factors that truly motivate them to choose Russia.
The results of the study confirm that Russia for students from far-abroad countries is often just an alternate airfield. These findings, as the author notes, are consistent with one of the Turkish studies , which revealed the "second option choice" phenomenon in relation to foreign students studying in Turkey. It hasn't been studied enough yet. However, the problem of the "second choice phenomenon" is already obvious - dissatisfaction with the forced compromise negatively affects learning outcomes and involvement in the learning process.
How can we attract more international students?
Although many foreign students are still studying in Russia, additional efforts are needed to develop this area further and make Russian universities more attractive to foreigners, Alena Nefedova believes.
She makes the following recommendations based on the findings of the study:
- At the state level, more attention should be paid to the image of the country abroad. Existing information sources do not contribute to the formation of an adequate picture of education in Russian universities.
- It is necessary to increase budget funding for public organizations that promote Russian education abroad (including Russian centers of science and culture).
- It is important to develop support programs for Russian-speaking school teachers, who are often the only link between a Russian university and a foreign student.
- It is necessary to make significant changes to the migration legislation, as it is now becoming a significant barrier to the export policy of universities. In particular, to officially allow part-time employment for foreign students, to develop a special visa policy.
- At the institutional level, universities should pay special attention to the adaptation of first-year students. To do this, it is necessary to create support clubs, which are often absent in Russian universities.
- It is important for universities to develop educational programs in English, since interest in Russian in the world has seriously decreased after the collapse of the USSR. And this negatively affects Russia's prospects for remaining an influential player in the global education market.
- In addition, it is necessary to improve the quality of life of foreign students, collect feedback more often and use it, and actively work with graduates.
- It is necessary to promote the formation of adequate expectations among students before studying. Very often, the lack of high-quality English versions of university websites becomes a barrier to this.
This study has limitations, the author notes. First of all, because the interviews were taken from students of leading universities in Russia, who have significant government support to promote their educational programs abroad. Additional research is needed in this direction, which would affect a wider range of universities.
