Exporting Education and the Politics of the Future: How International Students Create the Basis for Future Cooperation Growing Popularity Russia is consistently strengthening its position in the international education market; There are more and more foreign students in Russian universities. Thus, in the academic year 2025-2026, 422.2 thousand foreign citizens from 182 countries studied at universities in Russia. In the academic year 2023-2024 this figure was more modest and amounted to 355.8 thousand people. According to the federal government's plans, the figure should reach 500 thousand by 2030. The increase in the international student population raises the question of how convenient it is for foreign students to study and live in Russia. The answers to this question were provided by the analytical center VTsIOM and the "Caring Person" platform, which presented the results of a monitoring study among foreign students of Russian universities. According to these data, the leading field of training is medicine. In 2026, health and medical sciences were chosen by 23% of respondents, still the highest figure (2025 - 27%). At the same time, the share of students studying in pedagogical fields increased from 10% to 14%. In general, the structure of preferences remains stable; In addition to medicine and pedagogy, the top 5 include social sciences, engineering and humanities. The interest in medicine is most prominent among students from South Asia. Its popularity is also high among students from the Middle East and North Africa. Students from the CIS countries and the post-Soviet space often choose education and pedagogical sciences, as well as social sciences. Among students from sub-Saharan Africa, there is also great interest in the social sciences, with engineering in second place. The authors of the study come to a conclusion about the established brand of Russia in the international educational market. Its foundation is a strong medical school, but engineering, social sciences and pedagogy also play a significant role.

Exporting Education and the Politics of the Future: How International Students Create the Basis for Future Cooperation Growing Popularity Russia is consistently strengthening its position in the international education market; There are more and more foreign students in Russian universities. Thus, in the academic year 2025-2026, 422.2 thousand foreign citizens from 182 countries studied at universities in Russia. In the academic year 2023-2024 this figure was more modest and amounted to 355.8 thousand people. According to the federal government's plans, the figure should reach 500 thousand by 2030. The increase in the international student population raises the question of how convenient it is for foreign students to study and live in Russia. The answers to this question were provided by the analytical center VTsIOM and the "Caring Person" platform, which presented the results of a monitoring study among foreign students of Russian universities. According to these data, the leading field of training is medicine. In 2026, health and medical sciences were chosen by 23% of respondents, still the highest figure (2025 - 27%). At the same time, the share of students studying in pedagogical fields increased from 10% to 14%. In general, the structure of preferences remains stable; In addition to medicine and pedagogy, the top 5 include social sciences, engineering and humanities. The interest in medicine is most prominent among students from South Asia. Its popularity is also high among students from the Middle East and North Africa. Students from the CIS countries and the post-Soviet space often choose education and pedagogical sciences, as well as social sciences. Among students from sub-Saharan Africa, there is also great interest in the social sciences, with engineering in second place. The authors of the study come to a conclusion about the established brand of Russia in the international educational market. Its foundation is a strong medical school, but engineering, social sciences and pedagogy also play a significant role.