For many Russians, the phrase “European education” is synonymous with high quality. That is why, according to UNESCO statistics, more and more young residents of our country are seeking to get an education abroad or at least get acquainted with its principles for a semester. The increase in “academic mobility” between the Russian Federation and the EU is facilitated by the interest in this of both parties: both Moscow and Brussels.

Pavel Tarasenko

Leave to return

There are no official statistics on Russians going abroad to study at universities. There are only individual studies conducted, in particular, by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the US Institute of International Education and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Analysis of the results of their work allows us to say that more and more citizens of the Russian Federation prefer to gnaw on the granite of science outside their homeland. If in the mid-1990s the Russian student diaspora abroad numbered approximately 13 thousand people, then by 2000 it increased to 25 thousand, and by 2009 - to 47 thousand (0.5% of the total number of students in RF). The leaders in the number of Russian students have always included Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the USA, as well as a number of European countries, primarily Germany, France and the UK.

Awareness of the importance of a systematic approach to international mobility came to the Russian authorities not so long ago. For example, only from 2013 the presidential program “Global Education” will operate in the Russian Federation. Under its terms, young people will be able to obtain loans to obtain a master's degree or doctorate of science (PhD) at leading universities in the world. The program will begin in 2013 and will cover about 1 thousand people. In 2014 and 2015, the number of Russians annually sent to study abroad may increase to 2 thousand people.

After receiving their diplomas, graduates will have to return to their homeland and work in their industry for three years. Otherwise, they will have to give the state its money with accumulated interest. Please note that this program does not provide any assistance in enrolling in foreign universities. However, today it is not so difficult to do it yourself. In particular, specialized EU programs will help you get a quality education at European universities, a number of which operate in Russia.

Path to Europe

Close cooperation between the Russian Federation and the European Union in the field of education began in the first half of the 1990s. On paper, the goals and objectives were enshrined in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1994. At the same time, the Tempus program began operating in Russia (www.ec.europa.eu/tempus), aimed at improving curricula, disseminating new teaching methods and improving the university management system.

Our cooperation in the field of education is based not only on the agreement of 18 years ago. For example, in 2003, at a summit in St. Petersburg, a road map on education, science and cultural aspects was agreed upon, and two years later approved. Its main goal was stated to be “creating fundamentally new opportunities for cooperation” in these areas.

In practice, such declarations lead, in particular, to an expansion of the scope of EU educational projects, of which Erasmus Mundus is the most famous in Russia (www.ec.europa.eu/education). The "mother" Erasmus program, created back in 1987 and intended for students from EU member countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Norway, Turkey and Croatia, has made a significant contribution to the process of creating a united Europe. The Erasmus Mundus program, launched in 2004, whose slogan is “Bring students to Europe; bring Europe to all students,” is intended to help increase the openness of EU member states to third countries. In addition, in 2007, the Erasmus Mundus Partnership program began working - it is no longer about individual mobility, but about the organized exchange of students, graduate students and teachers within the framework of one of the five international consortia of universities operating today: Aurora, Eranet Plus, Eranet-Mundus, Multic and Triple I ( http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/results_compendia/selected_projects_action_2_en.php ).

Almost all categories of students can take advantage of Erasmus programs: from those who have just entered their third year to graduates and postgraduate students. The EU currently funds 138 master's courses. In addition, since 2010 it is possible to obtain a European-style Doctor of Science (PhD) degree. Next year the number of doctoral programs will be 43. Note that Erasmus Mundus is open not only to students: teachers, scientists and university staff also have the opportunity to receive scholarships to carry out scientific work in Europe.

As Kommersant was told by the EU Delegation to Russia, since 2005, within the framework of the Erasmus Mundus program, about 500 Russian students studying for a master's degree or receiving a PhD degree have been able, thanks to EU grants, to complete their studies at one of the European universities. Since 2007, under the Erasmus Mundus partnership, 2 thousand people have spent a semester or year at a partner university in one of the EU member states, while continuing to study and do research at their home university.

In the coming years, Brussels intends to continue its efforts to increase international mobility. The EU is launching a new program, Erasmus for All (http://ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus-for-all/index_en.htm), which will replace seven existing programs in this area. Even more people will be able to take advantage of the new opportunities. As announced by the European Commission last November, Europe will double the number of foreign students studying on grants in 2014 to 5 million. Among them will be 3 million full-time students, 700 thousand interns and 1 million teachers. At the same time, it is possible that the minimum period of study abroad will be reduced from six months to three. The total volume of the Erasmus for All program, as follows from its budget for 2014-2020, will be €19 billion, of which €1.8 billion is planned to be spent on international cooperation.

This side of the border

To receive a European education, it is not at all necessary to leave Russia for the entire period of study. Students of dozens of Russian universities have the opportunity to obtain double diplomas, which are recognized both here and in the West. Part of the training takes place in the Russian Federation, and part in Europe.

Such programs first appeared in the 1990s, and since Russia joined the Bologna Process in 2003, the number of universities issuing such diplomas has been growing every year. Today there are about 240 such programs. In the 2009-2010 academic year, more than 6.6 thousand Russian and 565 European students took advantage of them.

However, it is not yet possible to say that this process has acquired significant proportions: not everyone decides to begin developing unified programs and requirements, because this is quite difficult due to the significant difference in European and Russian educational traditions. And yet the result is worth all the effort: students at such universities benefit from both educational systems.

In addition, in Russia there are educational institutes and divisions created and functioning with the direct support of the European Union (www.eurocollege.ru). Among them is the European Educational Institute at MGIMO. It is financed on a parity basis by the authorities of the Russian Federation and the European Union and, as a rule, offers a one-year master's program in the field of European integration. Since 1998, the EU Delegation in Moscow annually organizes the so-called “Euroschool” for students of Russian universities - a series of classes on the topics of the European Union and relations between the EU and the Russian Federation.

You can learn about the educational activities of the European Union in the Russian Federation at specialized exhibitions that are regularly held in Moscow and other cities of the country, in EU centers (there are currently 6 of them - in St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Tomsk, Kazan, Petrozavodsk and Rostov-on-Don ) and 13 special EU information centers operating at the largest universities in our country.

Education the European way