"Social Navigator" project has updated the annual interactive "Navigator of enrollee-2017", which collected all the data for making a decision on admission to a Russian higher education institution. Its results were presented on March, 20 during a multimedia conference at MIA "ROSSIYA SEGODNYA".
Experts, Regional Director of QS for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Zoya Zaitseva, Project Manager "Typical Applicant" Vladislav Beliy and Vice-Rectors of the leading Russian universities of various orientations, discussed the main tendenies and trends of the higher education system in Russia this spring, changes in admission rules, and what excites modern entrants most of all.
Before the discussion started, Zoya Zaitseva presented the main trends in the development of Russian universities in the context of world dynamics, based on the recently published QS World University Rankings by Subject. Having announced positive results, demonstrated by Russian universities, the Regional Director of QS stressed that the brand of the university as a whole ceases to be significant for young people around the world, but the recognition of the university's reputation in one or another specialisation becomes more important. At the same time, according to Zoya Zaitseva, engineering, mathematical and natural sciences have the greatest growth potential: an increase in the applicants' request for these areas is another trend in world education.
The third trend is the growing competitiveness of Russian universities, which directly depends on the success and relevance of graduates. Today, young people, regardless of the country, are interested in the university's reputation among employers and the potential that they will be able to realize after graduation. Zoya Zaitseva stressed that at the present time, graduates of Russian technical universities themselves feel quite comfortable on the international labor market.
Presenting the seventh interactive resource "Universities of Russia: navigator of enrollee-2017", the supervisor of the project "Social Navigator" in MIA " ROSSIYA SEGODNYA" Natalia Tyurina noted that the project gives information to future freshmen and their parents about the conditions and points which different universities required for certain specialisations from last year enrollees. According to the results of the 2016 admission campaign, ITMO, MEPhI, MIPT, MISiS, St.Petersburg Polytech are leaders among technical universities in terms of reception quality. The average entrance score at these universities is more than 80 (in MEPhI - 89.1). At the same time, the highest cost of education for non-state supported education students is observed in areas, related to nuclear technology.
The head of the project "Typical Entrant" Vladislav Beliy believes that lately the choice of young people has become more conscious. If only a few years ago the university was chosen for its proximity to the home or the exams to be taken, today high school students began to be interested in, among other things, the curriculum – by whom, what and how they will be taught.
Developing the topic, the pro-rectors of Russian universities told about the policy of attracting the best applicants to the university, as well as what innovations are being implemented in universities during the admission campaign.
"Today, technical universities began to receive strong entrants, and just a few years ago they were falling behind liberal arts institutions: people with high scores went to law and economics," said Elena Vesna, vice-rector of MEPhI. “Now this trend has changed, and we really accept talented children. As a result of the admission campaign last year, 50% of the students have a diploma with honors, 40% are winners and prize-winners of the All-Russian Olympiads of various levels." As a result, MEPhI entered the top five best universities in quality of enrollment.
According to the pro-rector of one of the leading engineering universities of the country, technical universities have a number of significant advantages. An important factor in the growth of their attractiveness for motivated entrants is the formation of a world-class level, recognition of diplomas of leading Russian technical universities abroad. Thanks to the developed scientific connections, the participation of universities in international scientific collaborations, joint educational projects and programs with major world universities and scientific centers are actively developing. As a result, today students during their studies at the university can go abroad, get training on individual modules, internship and even get a diploma of a partner university in double-diploma programs. In these conditions, of great importance is language training: in MEPhI, for example, lectures are read both in Russian and in English. Programs to support the development of leading universities, like Project 5-100, have become drivers for the development of international academic mobility of students and teachers.
MEPhI Dean, Professor Sergey Kireev, stressed high popularity of university graduates among employers. He said that when a person enters MEPhI, he should be sure that he will be provided with a job at leading Rosatom enterprises. There are about 20 % foreign students in MEPhI, among 16 % of teachers are from other countries.
“Navigator of enrollee” is an annual product of the "Social Navigator" project which gathers data for taking solution about entering the university. 425 state and 30 non-state universities from 40 regions of Russia, who published lists of enrolled students on their websites, have entered the Navigator.
