Final State Certification

A student uploads the final version of the FQW - with a title page, a list of literature and appendices - in electronic form in text format (* .doc, * .rtf, * .txt) or in * .pdf format, obtained when saving a file in a text editor, to a special FQW support module, after which the work is sent to the Anti-Plagiarism system in accordance with the Anti-Plagiarism System Use Procedure for collecting and checking written educational works at the University.

Please check your work information before downloading:

• The title of the work in Russian: the name of the FQW on the title page must fully correspond to the name of the FQW loading module FQW;
• Title of the work in English;
• Supervisor;
• Type of work.

Attention! If a proven fact of plagiarism is revealed in the preparation of the FQW, the student may be brought to disciplinary responsibility in the manner prescribed by the Procedure for the application of disciplinary sanctions in case of violations of academic standards in writing written educational works at the Higher School of Economics, which is Appendix 1 to the "Student Internal Regulations at National Research University Higher School of Economics"

The deadline for downloading the final version of the FQW is May 14, 2026 (until 18:00)

The final version of the FQW is provided exclusively in electronic form by downloading it in your personal account. The student does not provide a paper version of the FQW.

Plagiarism in Written Assignments

The procedure for checking students' written educational works for plagiarism at the Higher School of Economics is carried out by uploading the work into the system and is regulated by the "Regulations on Checking Student Papers for Plagiarism, the Use of Generative Models, and the Publication of Bachelor's, Specialist, and Master's Theses on the HSE University Corporate Website".

Students can use the technologies of generative models (text, program code, images, etc.) in the process of performing educational works (written or oral) with the obligatory indication of their use and a description of this:
- the student is obliged to declare the goals of using AI, indicating a specific technology and assessing the success of its use - there are corresponding changes in the loading interfaces. The instruction for uploading works to LMS contains a description of how and where exactly the student should report on the use of artificial intelligence.

Using generative models without indicating it in an established way is a violation of academic norms!
Deduction as a disciplinary measure can be applied to a student at the initiative of the university if the student committed violations of academic standards both before entering the final certification and after entering the final certification, including before and during the defense of the final qualification work.

Accoding to the "Regulations on Checking Student Papers for Plagiarism, the Use of Generative Models, and the Publication of Bachelor's, Specialist, and Master's Theses on the HSE University Corporate Website":

3.15. Decisions concerning the legitimacy of the use of borrowings or generative models in students' term papers, theses, and project proposals are taken by the relevant term paper, thesis, or project proposal supervisor, respectively. When taking such a decision, the supervisor of the given student's written assignment will act based on the information contained in the report generated by the corporate Anti-Plagiarism system, their own body of knowledge in the subject area, and information on relevant publications on the topic of the written assignment. In taking a decision, supervisors of students' written assignments are entitled to use other tools allowing them to check written assignments for plagiarism and the undisclosed application of generative models.

3.17. If a thesis supervisor establishes the presence of plagiarism or the undisclosed use of generative models in the thesis text, they draft a relevant memorandum addressed to the academic supervisor of the respective degree programme no later than five business days before the designated date of the thesis defence.

3.18. The degree programme manager sends a summary report on any theses by students of the degree programme found to have a level of originality under 80% or that were determined to have been written with the use of undisclosed generative models addressed to the academic supervisor of the respective degree programme no later than five business days before the designated date of the thesis defence. If the report contains no memorandums from the relevant students' written assignment supervisors, the academic supervisor of the degree programme requests that the students' written assignment supervisors explain their rationale for deeming the identified signs of plagiarism permissible no later than three business days before the designated date of the thesis defence.

3.19. Student authors of theses in which violations of academic standards have been identified are not admitted to the thesis defence procedure and are subject to disciplinary measures according to the procedure established under the HSE University Student Internal Regulations.

Before the final download of the FQW, you can independently check your FQW for plagiarism in the Unified Personal Account: https://lk.hse.ru/

Title Page Template BABDS (Data fields to be filled are highlighted in yellow; please remove color highlighting after filling them out)

GSB Presentation template RU

GSB Presentation template ENG

Format of FQW provision:

Final qualification works are provided only in electronic format by uploading the work into the system (paper version of the work is not required!)

Presentation template: 

GSB presentation (PPTX, 188 Кб)

The student has the right, no later than two calendar days before the defense of the FQW, to upload a presentation/other materials accompanying the defense in his personal account for preliminary familiarization of the members of the State Examination Board (clause 4.8, Annex 1 to "Regulations on Final State Certification of Students in Bachelor’s, Specialist and Master’s Degree Programmes at National Research University Higher School of Economics")

FQW Defense:

• FQW defense begins with a student's report on FQW. A master's report on FQW is given at least 20 minutes, the student has the right to end the speech before the expiration of 20 minutes, but the commission does not have the right to interrupt the student within 20 minutes from the beginning of the report. After 20 minutes, the chairman has the right to ask the student to proceed to the final part, but not before the expiration of 20 minutes;
• The student must present the main content of his FQW freely without reading the written text. In the course of the report, a computer presentation of FQW, a prepared visual graphic (tables, diagrams) or other material illustrating the main provisions of FQW can be used;
• After completing the report, members of the local State Examination Board ask the student questions both directly related to the topic of FQW and closely related to it. When answering questions, the student has the right to use his FQW (answers to questions from members of the State Examination Board - approximately 10 minutes);
• After the questions of the commission, the Chairman reads out the key points of the review of the academic supervisor of the FQW and the reviewer;
• After the discussion is over, the student is given the final word. In his final speech, the student must respond to the comments of the academic supervisor of the FQW and the reviewer, if any, in the reviews. After the student's final word, the FQW defense procedure is considered completed.

Procedures for Retaking Final State Examinations

Procedure for Organizing and Conducting Appeals to the Results of Final State Examinations

Documents:

Regulations on Final State Certification of Students in Bachelor’s, Specialist and Master’s Degree Programmes at National Research University Higher School of Economics (took effect 10.12.2025)

A student who did not pass the FSC due to failure to appear at the FQW defense for a good reason has the right to undergo the FSC within six months after the completion of the FSC, without expulsion from the Higher School of Economics.

Valid reasons for failure to attend the FSC or the impossibility of uploading FQW include:

• disease confirmed by an established medical certificate presented to the National Research University Higher School of Economics in the manner prescribed by "Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at National Research University Higher School of Economics"
• other exceptional reasons that objectively prevented the student from attending the FSC/uploading the FQW, documented in accordance with the procedure established in "Regulations...".

These reasons may include:

▪ illness or death of close relatives;
▪ performance of public duties;
▪ summons to law enforcement agencies, court, other bodies, the appearance of which, if there is a summons/summons, is required by law;
▪ transport problems (flight cancellation, lack of tickets);
▪ force majeure circumstances, including the presence (occurrence during the state certification test in a remote format) of technical problems, the consideration of which is carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the university.

Valid reasons do not include the student's absence from the FSC/violation of the FQW download date caused by circumstances related to the student's work.

If a student during the re-conduct of the FSC did not pass it, regardless of the validity of the reasons for such failure, he/she is subject to deduction for failure to fulfill the obligations for conscientious development of the educational program and fulfillment of the curriculum.

A diploma with honors is issued to graduates subject to the following conditions:

• all grades specified in the appendix to the diploma in disciplines (modules), independent exams and elements of practical training are marks "excellent," "good" or "credited";
• all FSC scores are "excellent"
• the proportion of "excellent" marks indicated in the appendix to the diploma, including marks based on the results of the FSC, is at least 75% of the total number of marks, with the exception of marks "credited" indicated in the appendix to the diploma.

Regulations on Final State Certification of Students in Bachelor’s, Specialist and Master’s Degree Programmes at National Research University Higher School of Economics (took effect 10.12.2025)

For students completing their studies, the "Graduation Module" service is available in https://lk.hse.ru 

The service allows:

• reconcile and agree on the preliminary and final layouts of the diploma appendix;
• check the absence of library debts (the presence of books handed out);
• monitor the fulfillment of financial obligations (payment for training, living in a hostel);
• apply for post-graduate holidays.

Graduation Module Manual

Students who successfully complete the FSC in June have the right to be dismissed not immediately after the defense, but after the end of the postgraduate vacations. In 2025, postgraduate vacations may be taken until August 12, 2025. To take post-graduation vacation, you must complete the appropriate section in the "Graduation/Completion of Studies" module of the MyHSE profile https://lk.hse.ru.

Graduation Module Manual