Quota for foreign university students in Russia up 100% over past 3 years - minister

MOSCOW. April 18 (Interfax) - The Russian government has raised the quota for foreign students by 100% over the past three years to 30,000 places at colleges in 2024, Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov said on Thursday.

"There are 30,000 [places currently available for foreign students], and their quantity has grown twofold in the last three years. We're maintaining this level right now, but in any case, things are developing in this direction," Falkov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 (VGTRK) television channel.

Alongside the quotas, a tool for supporting international students in the form of grants is now being discussed intensively, he said.

International students show the greatest interest in healthcare-related degrees (pediatrics, medical care, stomatology), as well as international relations, economics, law, and civil engineering. Competition among applicants for various types of engineering education has been growing in recent years, he said.

Two thirds of foreign students in Russia come from Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries. Kazakhstan leads by the number of students, followed by Uzbekistan. China is ranked third. Tajikistan and India are also in the top five countries sending students to Russia, Falkov said.