2023 Admissions Now Open
The 2023 Admissions Campaign has started at HSE University. The range of available courses includes 89 bachelor’s and 182 master’s programmes across the university’s campuses in Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Perm. Among them are 13 English-taught bachelor’s programmes and 40 English-taught master’s programmes in such fields as architecture, Asian studies, IT, arts, history, mathematics, politics, psychology, economics, management, physics, chemistry, biology, law, literature and many others.
HSE University consistently places highly in various international academic rankings, and students from more than 100 countries study here. Below, three international students share their impressions of studying and living in Russia and explain why they chose HSE University.
Abdul Jalilu
My name is Abdul Jalilu and I am a second-year master’s student from Ghana. I enrolled in a preparatory programme at HSE University in the 2020/2021 academic year and later fully enrolled in the Master’s programme in Strategic Corporate Finance. I got to know about HSE University through my brother, who enrolled here some time ago.
I think HSE University is one of the best in Russia. I have gained a lot of knowledge, skills, connections, and experience here.
The university has world-renowned professors who are capable of making students achieve their academic dreams
Studying here also gave me an opportunity to work with people from other faculties. I had the opportunity to work with Oxana Budjko, Head of the HSE International Office, and Ella Khromova, Investment Director at Prima Capital in Moscow. And the HSE dormitory administrators have been so helpful to me in my dormitory.
My main challenge as a student here is how difficult some courses are. Microeconomics and Advanced Econometrics were very difficult for me and other students, I think because some of us did not do these courses during our bachelor’s studies.
I think the general perception of Ghanaians about Russia is good. Russians are united in whatever they do, however from my experience, some of them are not so open to talk to foreigners.
Yuxin
I decided to study in Russia primarily because of its rich culture, which I’ve been drawn to since childhood. I have read many famous Russian poems and prose works (including Crime and Punishment and War and Peace) and watched a lot of plays performed by famous actors.
Living in the south of China, I never saw snow. The first time I saw snow was in Moscow, and the scene fascinated me.
My first year at HSE University was very difficult. My profession is very complicated, and I was only in my second year of studying Russian, so it was more difficult for me than for others. At first, I didn't always understand the topic or assignments, so while others were resting, I studied on my own to learn both the language and mathematics at the same time.
I tried very hard to prepare for the exams and in the end, I surpassed myself and began to understand everything
My favourite places in HSE are the rooms at the top of Building D. I often study there, and you can see Pokrovka in all its glory through the window. I also like the glass lift on the first floor and the stairs in Building S. They look like a modern Hogwarts.
Ulyana Kustikova
I was admitted to the Bachelor’s in Business Informatics at HSE University in 2021. My journey to this university started when my dad and I found information about the university on social media. After reading several articles on the website, we decided it was the best university for me.
What I like most about this university is that the administration is supportive and the other students make my studies here comfortable and enjoyable. Most of the professors are young and their thoughts are modern, so it’s interesting to study with them.
You need to study really hard to pass your exams once you’re here, but it’s worth it!
I really like Moscow. The architecture is beautiful, and public transport is convenient, but you need to learn how to navigate the city.
My dormitory is in the city centre. It has a canteen and a kitchen, which is really convenient for me. I have both Russian and international friends. We come from different cultural backgrounds, but we share common interests.
Those interested in studying at HSE University should create a personal account to apply for bachelor's or master's programmes (switch to English in the upper-right corner).
More information is available on the International Admissions website.
For more student stories and up-to-date information on admissions, competitions, and discounts, follow HSEenter on Telegram.
See also:
Direct Dialogue with Leading Universities
An HSE delegation has held a series of meetings with leading Chinese universities: Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beihang University, Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University, and Tongji University. The visit programme was organised by the Institute of Education.
China Bets on Expanding Leading Universities, Postgraduate Education, and STEM Fields
At the XXVI April International Academic Conference named after Evgeny Yasin at HSE University, one of the distinguished speakers was Prof. Liguo Li of the School of Education at Tsinghua University. He spoke about changes in the structure of higher education in China in line with national strategic priorities, including a proposed 1.7–2-fold increase in the number of leading research universities.
A Time for Flexible Solutions: How China Trains In-Demand Specialists
Building an effective workforce training system requires not only appropriate institutions, but also well-developed intermediary organisations capable of translating policy into practice and connecting different groups of stakeholders, said Dr Po Yang, Professor at Peking University. She was an invited speaker at the XXVI April International Academic Conference named after Evgeny Yasin.
‘HSE Offers a Lot, Not Just Academically, but Also in Terms of Community and Unexpected Opportunities’
Zhou Jinyu, from China, is a fourth-year student of the Bachelor’s programme ‘Data Science and Business Analytics’ at the HSE University Faculty of Computer Science. On March 5, 2026, Zhou Jinyu delivered the report ‘Exploration of Object-Centric Process Mining Using Object-Centric Sequence Diagrams’ as part of the PAIS Lab seminar. In her interview with the HSE News Service, she spoke on her research topic, how object-centric process mining lets data reflect reality, and her overall experience of studying at HSE University.
‘The Identity of a Political Community Is Not Fixed—It Is Continuously Constructed and Contested’
Wang Yali has been interested in Russian language and politics since her time as an undergraduate at Peking University. After graduating with a degree in Asian and African Languages and Literatures and a second degree in International Relations, she pursued a Master’s in International Relations at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at HSE University–Moscow. She is now pursuing a PhD at the Doctoral School of Political Science, examining Russian narratives of ‘East,’ ‘West,’ and its own place among them.
HSE Scholars to Join Sino-Russian Association of Fundamental Sciences
The Sino-Russian Association of Fundamental Sciences has officially begun its work in China. It brings together research centres in mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, and Earth sciences, with participation from HSE University scholars. During the launch conference, the Sino-Russian Mathematics Series project was also presented; it envisages the publication of 100 textbooks and monographs over the next ten years. HSE University representatives Ivan Arzhantsev and Sergei Lando have joined the project’s editorial board.
International Winter School for Students from Two Leading Chinese Universities Held at HSE MIEM
Chinese students gained practical knowledge in the design, assembly, and operation of small spacecraft and systems, as well as in quantum mechanics, superconductivity, and materials science for solar energy.
‘Policymakers Should Prioritise Investing in AI for Climate Adaptation’
Michael Appiah, from Ghana, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Laboratory of Intangible-Driven Economy (IDLab) at HSE University–Perm. He recently spoke at the seminar ‘Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization, and Climate Vulnerability: Evidence from Heterogeneous Panel Models’ about his research on ‘the interplay between artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and climate vulnerability.’ Michael told the HSE News Service about the academic journey that led him to HSE University, his early impressions of Perm, and how AI can be utilised to combat climate change.
‘Living and Studying in China Is a Unique and Unforgettable Experience’
Arina Kurbetyeva is a third-year student of the Bachelor’s in Digital Technologies and Telecommunications run by the HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM). During her second year, she spent one semester in China at CUHK-Shenzhen University as part of an academic mobility programme. The student shared her experience of studying in China with the HSE News Service.
‘Collective Action Can Lead to Real Progress for Rural Women Everywhere’
Gabriella Leelee Enchill is a third-year student at the HSE University Doctoral School of Sociology. She has a bachelor’s in Integrated Community Development from the University for Development Studies in her native Ghana and a master’s in Population and Development from HSE University. Her current research focuses on gender inequality in rural Ghanaian communities. Gabriella spoke to the HSE News Service about what her studies have uncovered about inequality in the region, how women can gain agency by banding together, and why studying these communities helps empower women around the world.