Admissions Made Easy for International Students: 2018/2019 Academic Year
On November 15, international student admissions for undergraduate and Master’s programmes opened. This year, prospective students can apply to two programmes simultaneously. They’ll be able to track the application process online in their personal profile on the HSE website where they will receive notifications on the stages of their application’s review and decisions by the admissions committee. The documents for visa invitation can also be submitted there.
New programmes
The number of English-taught programmes has grown this year, and HSE now offers eight undergraduate and 27 Master’s programmes across its different campuses. The new undergraduate programmes include a double degree programme with Kyung Hee University in Economics and Politics in Asia, as well as double degree programmes with the University of London in Applied Data Analysis and Management and Digital Innovation (Moscow). The HSE campus in St. Petersburg is launching a new English-taught master’s programme in Management and Analytics for Business.
Terms and tuition fee waivers
Applications for undergraduate programmes can be submitted until August 10, 2018, and for Master’s programmes until July 15, 2018. All applications submitted by February 28 will are eligible for the competition for free tuition as part of the quota system. Applications submitted after March 1 will participate in the competition for fee-paying slots.
Students who pay for tuition within 30 days after the application is approved will receive an additional 5% discount, which combines with other discounts offered by the university. More information is available on discounts for undergraduate programmes, as well as discounts for Master’s programmes.
It should be noted that quotas for free tuition and university discounts don’t apply to programmes that do not have any state-funded slots. These programmes may offer their own discounts.
Information on tuition rates for the 2018/19 academic year will be available later. A preliminary assessment can be made on the basis of last year’s costs for undergraduate and Master’s programmes.
How to apply
To apply for admission, please set up a personal profile for prospective undergraduate or Master’s students. You will be sent a login and password within 24 hours after registration (except for weekends and national holidays). In the personal profile, choose the language of instruction (Russian or English), and choose two programmes from the list of programmes at all four campuses. Indicate the priority of the programmes.
How to enter undergraduate programmes
The most popular way to enter HSE undergraduate programmes for international Russian-speaking students has been participation in HSE Olympiads for school students. Winners and runners up of the Olympiads can receive priority enrolment with either admission to tuition-free spots or a discount on tuition. The full list of benefits for Olympiad winners of will be available after December 15.
Another way is to apply as part of a special competition for foreign citizens. To pursue this option, students pass on-site or online tests in two subjects. When students submit the application online, they can choose the date and time for online testing. Online testing will be carried out from December through May. On-site exams will be offered from May through August in Moscow and at other campuses. Based on the results of the examination, applicants will be recommended for enrolment in state-funded or fee-paying places with or without a discount.
International students can also apply to HSE alongside Russian citizens as part of the general competition. To do so, they must either pass the Unified State Examination or internal exams at HSE in the relevant subjects.
How to enter Master’s programmes
Applicants to Master’s programme upload portfolios in their personal profiles based on the requirements of the programmes they are interested in. Those applying for two programmes should submit two motivation letters, one for each programme. The completed applications are reviewed by the programmes, which make a decision within two weeks. (Note: applications won’t be considered during the holiday period of December 25 through January 8). Applicants may be recommended for a state-funded slot (if the application is made before February 28), or for a fee-paying slot, with or without a discount.
In addition, winners of the HSE Olympiad for university students and graduates which will take place in March, and the Open Doors competition can receive discounts or free tuition at HSE. In other words, a prospective student may be recommended for a fee-paying slot, but after the Olympiad they may receive a discount or a free tuition offer.
If necessary, the programme may invite prospective students for an interview, which is usually held online, for example over Skype. Notifications on interview invitations will appear in the personal profile and sent to the email address that was submitted during the registration. It should be noted that if the applicant ignores the invitation twice, their application will be denied.
Preparatory programmes
International students who want to apply to HSE’s Russian-taught programmes but don’t have sufficient proficiency in Russian, or who need training in the area of the programme’s studies, can take various courses offered by the preparatory programme. Starting in 2018, the programme will offer courses lasting from 6 to 18 months. Students will be able to choose from advanced Russian courses or subject studies combined with Russian language courses.