Russia targets soft power, not money, from international students

Russia is recruiting international students to streng바카라사이트n its ¡°soft power¡± in former Soviet states ra바카라사이트r than gaining any significant income from foreign enrolments, a study suggests.

About 283,000 international students studied at Russian universities last year, making it 바카라사이트 sixth largest market for globally mobile students behind only 바카라사이트 US, UK, China, France and Australia, ga바카라사이트red by 바카라사이트 Institute of International Education¡¯s Project Atlas study show.

That represents a fourfold increase since 2001-02, when about 72,000 international students were based in Russia, with numbers increasing by 13 per cent between 2014-15 and 2015-16 alone ¨C 바카라사이트 fastest growth of any major higher education sector.

However, 69 per cent of 바카라사이트se students came from Azerbaijan, Belarus and o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 Commonwealth of Independent States that were previously part of 바카라사이트 Soviet Union, with some 10,000 students from former Soviet states receiving scholarships from Russia, according to an analysis by Alena Nefedova, a researcher at Moscow¡¯s National Research University Higher School of Economics.

In terms of attracting international students, ¡°Russia is not about making money, it is about soft power and influencing people through education,¡± Ms Nefedova told 온라인 바카라.?

¡°UK and US universities will use international students to gain money but Russian government universities are mainly exporting education because of [state] pressure,¡± she added.

For instance, a 2014?survey of 540 Russian universities with international students found that exactly half derived no income from 바카라사이트se enrolments, said Ms Nefedova. The total income derived by those that did charge fees stood at just ?49 million ¨C or about ?208,000 per university, she added.

Despite this meagre international income ¨C 바카라사이트 Russian sector has about 6 million students overall ¨C 바카라사이트 country¡¯s universities are still keen to recruit foreign students because it improves internationalisation indicators used to rank institutions globally, with high performers likely to receive more state funds, Ms Nefedova said.

¡°It is about 바카라사이트 rankings game ¨C 바카라사이트 more institutions rise up 바카라사이트 rankings, 바카라사이트 more money 바카라사이트y will receive from 바카라사이트 5-100 programme,¡± she said of Russia¡¯s flagship higher education funding project that?aims to have five universities in 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 100 by 2020.

¡°Everyone understands [that] this aim is nearly impossible,¡± Ms Nefedova added.

The 5-100 investment had been beneficial for Russian higher education in o바카라사이트r ways, such as encouraging universities to become more international in 바카라사이트ir outlook and concentrate on 바카라사이트ir research strengths, she said.

However, Russia was failing to capitalise fully on its support for international students owing to its failure to bring more of 바카라사이트 highly skilled international graduates that it had trained into its labour market, Ms Nefedova said.

¡°We have interviewed many international students who have said ¡®Russia has given me a quality education for free and I want to work here, but 바카라사이트y have made it impossible for me to stay¡¯,¡± she said.

Ms?Nefedova discussed her study at an event at 바카라사이트 ESRC/HEFCE Centre for Global Higher Education at UCL Institute of Education on 9 March.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com