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The Higher School of Economics has published the results of its annual monitoring of the quality of admission to state-funded and fee-paying places at Russian universities. According to the report, almost all students admitted to fee-paying education in 2022 had the opportunity to get into state-funded places. The number of fee-paying students with high scores was lower than the number of state-funded places occupied by first-year students with low scores, at under 56. A similar situation was observed last year. The report's authors conclude that top-performing students choose fee-paying education not because of a shortage of state-funded places, but because they seek admission to leading universities where competition for admission is high. These data highlight the importance of choosing an educational institution and its reputation during the admissions process.
The average score of fee-paying first-year students at the Faculty of Physics (Phystech) exceeds 90, while for students at MGIMO and HSE in Moscow and St. Petersburg, this figure is around 80. These values are similar to the average score of those admitted to state-funded places at universities such as the Financial University, MISiS, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, and the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH). Therefore, students studying on a fee-paying basis at prestigious institutions such as MIPT, MGIMO, or HSE have the opportunity to enroll in state-funded places at the Financial University, MISiS, Baumanka, and other similar universities if they so choose. Admission to a prestigious university depends not only on the applicant's desires but also on the chosen field of study. There are popular specializations for which there are insufficient state-funded places. Even with high scores, competition for these places remains extremely fierce, and only a few will be able to obtain them. The remaining applicants must consider the possibility of studying on a fee-paying basis. This problem is especially relevant for humanities programs, where the number of applicants significantly exceeds the available budget places.
The volume and structure of admission to universities in 2022 remained unchanged compared to 2021. Monitoring data conducted by the Higher School of Economics confirms this trend. This indicates that the number of first-year students admitted and the ratio of those with high, average, and low USE scores has remained stable for several years. This information is important for applicants and their parents, as it allows them to better plan their choice of educational institutions and prepare for exams. The distribution of students across fields of study is characterized by significant unevenness. Analysis of the data presented in the graphs below shows that some popular fields attract the largest number of high-scorers, even though state-funded places are in short supply and students are forced to study on a fee-paying basis. At the same time, there are less popular fields where there is a significant concentration of students with low scores. It appears that choosing these "C" programs is a forced decision for many students: they are unable to secure state-funded places in more competitive and attractive programs, and the option of studying on a fee-paying basis is unavailable to them.
The reason for this phenomenon is that when allocating state-funded places to various programs of study, the state relies not on applicant demand, but on the economy's need for specific specialists. As a result, student demand and the actual needs of the labor market often prove to be inconsistent. This leads to a situation where some programs may remain underfilled, while other programs, more popular among applicants, may experience a shortage of funding and resources.
State-funded places at higher education institutions are primarily provided in programs such as engineering, information technology, medicine, pedagogy, and agriculture. In the field of information technology, the interests of the state and applicants coincide, resulting in high competitiveness in these programs. Students seeking admission to IT programs typically have strong academic records, as evidenced by a high average Unified State Exam (USE) score. However, in other programs, state-funded places are often filled by students with lower or average scores, indicating that they are applying based on the "whatever the opportunity" principle. This creates an imbalance in student quality across different faculties and raises the need for an improved system for allocating state-funded places.
Monitoring the quality of admission to state-funded and fee-paying places in Russian universities, conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Identified the most popular fields of study. The diagram shows which specialties attract large numbers of students solely due to the availability of a large number of state-funded places, and which programs are genuinely popular among applicants. This data can help prospective students choose a career and educational path, as well as universities optimize their programs. There are programs of study with a minimal number of fee-paying places, and the average Unified State Exam scores of applicants are low. This indicates that such programs attract less prepared applicants, and their popularity is primarily due to their accessibility—competition for these programs is low. The small number of fee-paying places indicates that there are enough places for everyone. Such programs include "Agriculture and Fisheries," "Transportation," "Construction," and "Electronic Engineering, Radio Engineering, and Communications." In these fields, the percentage of fee-paying students is only 4-7%, and average USE scores range from 57 to 66. There are programs where the number of fee-paying places exceeds the number of state-funded places, yet applicants demonstrate high average USE scores. This indicates that students choose these programs not only for the free education but also because of the attractiveness of the programs themselves. There are significantly fewer state-funded places in these programs than applicants, creating high competition. As a result, education is only available on a fee-paying basis, even for applicants with high USE scores. In the illustration, these programs are highlighted in red. In 2022, 82% of students in the Advertising and Public Relations program are fee-paying. The average score of admitted applicants is 71, demonstrating the high level of preparation of applicants who successfully passed the USE. However, due to the limited number of state-funded places, most students are forced to pay for their education. The average score in the Faculty of Linguistics is even higher—76, and 70% of students are also fee-paying. The highest proportion of fee-paying students is found among law students, where 74% are self-funded. This program is the fourth most popular, despite the perception that the labor market is oversaturated with lawyers. The next most popular direction is economics.
Monitoring the quality of admission to budget and fee-paying places in Russian A study conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) shows that the highest USE scores are not observed in mainstream programs, with the exception of Mathematics and Linguistics and Foreign Languages. The programs with the highest average scores include Asian and African Studies, Art Theory, Political Science, Philosophy, and Philology. For example, in 2022, only 1,745 students were enrolled in Asian and African Studies across all universities monitored, with 64% of them studying on a fee-paying basis. Only 612 students were admitted to Art Theory, of which 43% are studying on a fee-paying basis. Of the ten programs with the highest scores, all but one are in the humanities. This underscores applicants' interest in specialized humanities programs that require in-depth knowledge and skills.
Humanities majors attract top students and often require significant financial investment, as the proportion of fee-based tuition in these faculties is significantly high. This is due to a shortage of state-funded places and the high level of competition for them.
Humanities majors are absent from the list of programs with the lowest USE scores. The leading programs in the anti-rating are "Agriculture and Fisheries" and "Transportation," which are popular programs. In 2022, more than 11,000 students were admitted to the former program, and over 19,000 to the latter. This confirms the trend of demand for technical and applied programs, despite their low USE scores.
Largest programs, such as "Healthcare," "Law," "Pedagogy," and "Economics," occupy average positions in terms of average USE scores. Meanwhile, "Computer Science and Engineering" stands out, ranking in the top twenty. This indicates a growing interest in technical specialties, which may influence prospective students' future career choices. It's important to consider these trends when choosing a field of study, as they reflect not only labor market demands but also current educational trends. Rewrite the text, maintaining its essence and theme, optimize it for SEO, and add content if necessary. Avoid using emojis and unnecessary characters, and avoid creating structured sections. The text should be presented as a continuous paragraph.
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