MOSCOW (Realist English). Interest among Russian applicants in Chinese and European universities grew by 20% in 2026 compared to the previous year, according to surveys by education consultants. The shift is taking place against the backdrop of two interrelated processes: rising costs and tightening access to Western universities, on the one hand, and the growing cost of education at leading Russian universities, on the other.
China: scholarships, language and 23,000 students
China is becoming the most notable destination. According to various estimates, interest in local universities is growing by 10–20% per year, and the total number of Russian students in the country has reached 23,000.
Tuition ranges from €2,500 to €8,000 per year, but with an excellent school record and successful completion of the Chinese language exam, an applicant can qualify for a full grant covering four years of study and accommodation.
The dynamics of academic mobility are telling: in spring 2026, almost 60% of applications from HSE University students for exchange programmes were sent to universities in Asia, primarily China. For comparison: in 2023, about 66% of students chose European universities, whereas now their share has fallen to approximately 34%. In spring 2026, 134 applications were submitted to Chinese universities, and another 56 to universities in Hong Kong, whereas in 2020 there were only five applications to Chinese universities.
“Affordable Europe”: Germany, Austria, Italy
In Europe, the most affordable destinations remain Germany, Austria, Slovakia and France. In Germany, most public universities still offer free education (a nominal fee of about €300 per semester), although instruction is mainly in German.
In Italy, tuition is calculated based on family income: with an annual income below €23,000, education can be free, and without benefits it is inexpensive — at most about €5,000 per year.
Austria shows one of the highest growth rates: over the past year, the number of students from Russia there increased by approximately 30%. Tuition costs an average of €1,500 per year, and for admission, a basic level of German (A2) is often sufficient.
Why Western universities are losing out
Interest in the US and UK is declining for several reasons. According to Studyportals, interest among foreign applicants in master’s programmes in the US fell by 60% over the year. The visa policy of the Trump administration has tightened, and since November 2025, the State Department has required applicants for a student visa to confirm permanent residency in the country where the consulate operates — no such institutions remain in Russia.
In addition, since April 2026, a number of Western universities, including Stanford and Yale, have been designated in Russia as “undesirable organizations.” For approximately 3,000 Russian students, this status creates legal risks: under Article 284.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” carries a penalty of up to two years of restriction of freedom or a fine of up to 500,000 rubles. As a result, many applicants are abandoning plans to study in the West, fearing that “enrolment is now a one-way ticket.”
The Russian side: more expensive than it seems
One of the drivers of interest in foreign universities has been the cost of education in Russia. At MGIMO, programmes cost from 1.05 to 1.3 million rubles per year; at Moscow State University, up to 820,000 rubles; at HSE University and MIPT, comparable. At the same time, since 2026, the Ministry of Education has cut the number of paid places at universities by 47,000, and minimum entrance scores at leading universities have risen by an average of 5–10%. Against this backdrop, a number of European universities turn out to be no more expensive than domestic ones, and education in Germany and certain Austrian universities is even more budget-friendly.
The current shift is not merely a reaction to sanctions but a structural reorientation driven by a combination of factors: visa and legal barriers in the West, the rising cost of Russian higher education, and China’s active policy of attracting foreign students.
China offers not only affordable prices and scholarships but also programmes in English, double degrees and flexible study systems in IT, business and international relations. Europe, in turn, remains attractive due to free or subsidised education in Germany, Italy, Austria and Slovakia, although organisational difficulties — from apostilles to bank transfers through CIS countries — remain significant.
The key question is how sustainable this trend will be. If visa and legal restrictions in the West persist and China continues to expand its educational presence, the share of the Asian direction will grow further. However, for Russian families this means not only a choice between “East” and “West” but also the need to weigh risks — from the language barrier to diploma recognition and employment opportunities.
