Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) has given a new recent report which states that enrollment of international students in Russia has increased nearly threefold over the past decade. In 2004/05 there were a total of 100,900 students which has gone up to 282,900 in 2014/15. This suggests a total growth of 180% over a period of ten years.
Since 2003, Russia has seen approx 9% growth rate in enrollment of international students. It was 17.2% between 2013/14 and 2014/15 alone. The reason quoted behind the increased growth rate is probably the decrease in the value of Ruble compared to other foreign currencies. This makes studying in Russia much more affordable.
Russia expanded its scholarship program in 2015 for foreign students and a group of 15 leading institutions established a new joint centre for international recruitment. A separate report from the Institute of International Education (IIE) notes that most foreign students in Russia (83%) are enrolled in public institutions. IIE also points out that most of the foreign students in Russia come from the former Soviet Republics that now make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine top the chart of senders from CIS at 25%, 7.8% and 7.2% respectively. The only non-CIS countries in Russia’s top ten sending markets are China, India, and Vietnam. China is the highest sender at 7.1% followed by India (2.1%) and last comes Vietnam (1.7%).
Maximum international students in Russia are enrolled at undergraduate level. Others opt for advanced degrees and post graduate degrees. Nearly half study Engineering (20%) or Business (27%), with the Humanities (18%) and Health Sciences (12%) standing as the other major fields of study for international students.
So it can be said that Russia is emerging as a leading destination for international students in the global market !
