Students are drawn to Asia – Kommersant FM
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Russians choose Asian and Arab universities. They account for a quarter of all requests for education abroad, AcademConsult told Kommersant FM. Market participants note that studying in these countries is cheaper, and it is also easier to obtain visas. Meanwhile, the obstacles to entering a Western university are increasing. For example, in Canada they reduced the number of student quotas for foreigners and increased the financial guarantee threshold. How much does it cost to study abroad? And where can Russians go? Aelita Kurmukova found out.
Russians are increasingly applying to universities in China, South Korea, Malaysia and Japan. And they go there, as consultants say, to study financial and IT specialties. But in the United Arab Emirates – business, design and tourism, although branches of Western universities are more popular there.
Students leave mainly for English-language programs, says Irina Sledyeva, CEO of AcademConsult: “Studying at the best universities in China, including accommodation, can cost from $5 thousand to $10 thousand a year. There are no such strict requirements that only a parent or guardian can be a sponsor, as in the UK. In Korea, the cost is slightly higher – $10-15 thousand per year, which includes all living expenses. The advantages of Korea are a large number of scholarships and the absence of requirements for the financial component of the family.”
You can get a scholarship not only for winning Olympiads, but also for knowing the state language. However, only 5% of Russian applicants go there with Korean and Chinese. The opportunity to save on education continues in Europe; universities in Austria and Germany are especially popular. The latter also simplified legalization this year, recalls Daria Zlatorunskaya, head of regional and foreign offices of Smapse Education:
“Now Germany has reduced the period of residence for obtaining citizenship, and there are no problems with visas. For students who study in German, the fees are quite small; the average price of an English program is €10-12 thousand for one year of study. At the same time, you can earn extra money while studying, and after five years of official residence you can apply for citizenship.”
Previously, such a scheme worked in Canada, but now the conditions for foreigners have changed. Even if they have completed an English-language program, they will have to take a mandatory French exam at the end of their studies, starting in 2024. In addition, quotas for students from other countries have been reduced by a third, and this is at the height of the admissions campaign, complains Daria Zlatorunskaya:
“An order has been issued, but so far no one understands how to continue to work with this. Those who applied for visas before January 22 are fine, but anyone applying after will need an additional letter from each Canadian province. This is most likely due to the fact that too many foreigners are coming and there is not enough housing. In addition, a letter from the university will be required stating that it will definitely be able to provide the student with housing.”
Obtaining a visa is perhaps the main problem during admission. Previously, specialized agencies could help with this, but since 2022, universities have refused to work with Russian players. General Director of the Open World Education Group Grigory Ugarov, however, was convinced that this was not an obstacle:
“I can’t speak for all 150 universities in the UK, but for most of them there is no difference between students from Russia and other countries.
Many providers did not work with agencies, but this does not close all opportunities for us. If we do all the work to prepare the visa on behalf of the applicant, then the chances of success are maximum.”
The problem may only be the threshold of financial guarantee confirming the student’s solvency. Last year, many universities tightened their requirements, for example, to study at a British university, you must have at least 16 thousand pounds sterling in your account for a year. Canadian universities have a threshold of $15.5 thousand, but Asian universities have not yet made such requirements.
Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.
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