On 8 July, the Moscow venue of the Valdai Club hosted a discussion
entitled “Russia’s Role in International Educational Mobility”. Moderator Oleg Barabanov
noted that the issue of attracting foreign undergraduate, Master’s-level, and doctoral students to Russian universities is becoming increasingly significant. The President of Russia has set an ambitious target—to increase the number of international students studying in Russia to 500,000 over the medium term. Achieving this goal will require considerable efforts from educational institutions, public authorities, and civil society organisations.
Pavel Shevtsov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, stated that Russia is engaged in an intense global competition for minds and faces formidable rivals in this endeavour. He stressed that “education exports” possess a unique characteristic: prospective students from abroad—and their parents—must place their trust in the Russian Federation. Education is a launchpad for the future, and students must be confident that a Russian degree is internationally competitive and will help them succeed. It is therefore essential to recognise that attracting international students is a major national undertaking that concerns not only universities and the relevant government agencies, but also regional authorities. After all, when choosing a country in which to study, parents and students take numerous factors into account, including the local environment and living conditions. Shevtsov also pointed out that Russia currently pursues two parallel approaches with regard to international students. Foreign policy institutions are primarily interested in graduates returning to their countries of origin, whereas agencies responsible for socio-economic development would prefer talented graduates to remain in Russia and contribute to its prosperity. In his view, this distinction should be communicated openly when engaging with international audiences.
Michael Philaniotis, President of the Cyprus–Russia Friendship Society, believes that increasing the number of international students to half a million is an entirely realistic objective in light of the efforts already underway, the achievements already secured, and the steadily increasing funding that the Russian state allocates to this area. He stressed that Russian investment in education is exceptionally important and valuable, particularly under today’s challenging geopolitical circumstances, and will yield returns many times over in the decades ahead. “Graduates are a form of ‘soft power’ that will help strengthen and expand essential cultural, economic, and political ties,” Philaniotis added, explaining the importance of “educational diplomacy”. Russia continues to play an important and multifaceted role in international educational migration as a longstanding centre for training highly qualified professionals for many countries, he concluded.
Yulia Prokhorova, Director of the Centre for International Cooperation at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs of the Higher School of Economics, described the internationalisation of the student community as one of the university’s strategic development priorities. According to her, the Higher School of Economics has achieved considerable success in this area, including through its efforts to strengthen its presence in the international education market. “Resources invested in academic mobility—whether for students or academic staff—are an investment in the future,” she emphasised. Among the key instruments for enhancing a university’s visibility and reputation internationally, she listed dual-degree programmes with foreign universities, summer and winter schools, joint research projects, faculty exchange programmes, and the establishment of university representative offices abroad. Prokhorova also highlighted the crucial role of the university’s international alumni, who serve as its “international ambassadors”, stressing the importance of maintaining and nurturing those relationships. “People are the principal resource of international cooperation,” she said.
Anastasia Makarenko, Head of International Programs at the Eurasian Studies Institute of MGIMO University, urged participants not to reduce educational mobility to economic benefits, statistics, and performance indicators alone. In her view, the primary objective is to educate young professionals who are capable of speaking the same language, united by shared values, moral principles, ideas, and ways of thinking. Russia’s longstanding tradition of combining diverse cultural codes, she argued, contributes to this goal. At the same time, Makarenko noted that academic mobility has not only advantages but also drawbacks. Many partner countries, for example, are concerned that students who come to Russia may decide to remain there permanently, effectively resulting in a loss of promising talent. One possible response, she suggested, is to expand dual-degree programmes, such as the one operating within the Eurasian University Consortium, which brings together MGIMO University and universities from the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union.
“The Russian Federation has taken significant steps over the past two or three years to make studying in Russia more accessible for international students,” said Alla Shelyapina, Executive Secretary of the Expert Council of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization (ANO) Center for the Promotion of Voluntary Resettlement “The Way Home”. In her opinion, an important contribution has been made by the Ministry of Education’s project, launched in 2023, to establish integrated educational centres abroad, which serve as gateways to Russian culture and the Russian education system. She identified acquiring Russian language skills in students’ home countries, before they travel to Russia, as the key unresolved issue in this context. To address this challenge, Shelyapina argued that many more open education centres—even relatively small ones—should be established abroad. This would increase the number of prospective students prepared to pursue their education in Russia. The most important gateway, she concluded, is the teaching of the Russian language in other countries.
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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