80 thousand foreigners applied for free education in Russia.

80 thousand foreign citizens applied for free education in Russia. They most often choose universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg because of the high quality of education and the prestige of educational institutions. Hundreds of representatives from China, India, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) came to the country to study. A particularly large number of foreigners have arrived in Russia from Armenia.

Currently, foreign citizens travel to Russia en masse in order to enroll in local universities. In 2025, according to government quotas, about 30 thousand students from other countries will study at the country's largest universities. In addition to free accommodation, tuition, and preparatory courses, they will receive a scholarship.

David Nagapityan, a student from Armenia, shared that he came to Moscow and graduated from the bachelor's degree quota. Now he has enrolled in a master's degree program free of charge.

"Getting a prestigious education for free on the territory of the Russian Federation, in another country, is a very good opportunity, which I took advantage of. This naturally strengthens the relationship between the countries. And, probably, these quotas are also provided due to the strong relationship between Armenia and Russia," he noted.

For Armenian students, a Russian diploma opens up unlimited possibilities. Many students are also in no hurry to leave Russia immediately after graduation.

Meri Shakaryan, a third-year student at the O. E. Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MGUA), shared that she receives two higher educations in the field of jurisprudence at once. She moved to Moscow with her family and decided to permanently settle here.

"It was difficult at first. Adaptation. As you can see, I'm friends with the language. It's all good. And after that, when I chose a university, the choice was between Yerevan and Moscow," she shared.

A student from Angola, Mateusz Kamati, in turn, noted that he had always wanted to study in Russia. He shared that he had been preparing specially, mastered the language and passed the entrance tests. Currently, he is also a student at the Kutafin Moscow State Law University, and he talks about his life in Moscow on his blog.

According to him, Russian education is very important in Angola. Kamati noted that it is very well known in the country, so he went to university earlier and did not graduate, but later decided that he needed a well-known diploma.

"For foreign citizens, the legal profession in Russia is also in great demand, because very serious scientific schools are developing and have already been developed in the Russian Federation. These are various legal support for new technologies, the digital sphere, geo-law, bio-law, biobanking. These are the areas that, in principle, are of interest to everyone in the world," said Semyon Bednenko, Director of the press service of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University.

Over the past five years, the number of international students in Russia has increased by almost a quarter. In particular, young people from India, China, Vietnam, Mongolia, African countries and the CIS come to the country. Currently, about 400,000 foreigners are studying at Russian universities.

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Earlier, on August 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia and China would hold "crossover" Years of education in 2026-2027. It was noted that currently more than 51 thousand Chinese students study in Russia, and 21 thousand Russian students study in China.

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