Improving the competitiveness of education in Russia at the international level

This article provides an analysis of the factors affecting the competitiveness of domestic higher education: the positioning of Russian universities in international rankings, the degree of digitalization of education and science in the Russian Federation, as well as the export potential of Russian education. The first part presents the data of the analysis of higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation by the most popular international rating agencies, shows the methods and principles for calculating key indicators for each of the ratings. The higher places in international rankings show popularity and prestige of not only a particular university, but also the market of educational services in the country in general. The export of education is an important factor contributing to the increase of global competitiveness. The second part of the work describes government programs that help increase the export of domestic education by promoting Russian universities among foreign applicants, and also presents an action plan to increase the export of higher education in Russia. The degree of digitalization of higher education is shown as a determining factor, the importance of the digital transformation of domestic education, as well as the benefits of distance learning, is established. The federal program “Strategy for the Digital Transformation of Science and Higher Education”, developed in 2021 bythe Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation with the aim of achieving “digital maturity” in the field of education, is analyzed. A consistent review of projects developed in the field of education, as well as data from rating agencies, made it possible to determine the main directions for increasing the competitiveness of domestic higher education, to describe strategies and activities that contribute to the prompt achievement of all goals.