Attractiveness of Russian universities among foreign students in conditions of competitive global markets of educational services

Introduction. Many foreign students study at universities in the provincial regions of Russia. At the same time, research into criteria and factors that influenced the choice of a Russian regional university among foreign students have not been carried out until now. The main purpose of the study is to identify the criteria and factors of the attractiveness of a university located not in the capital region, but on the periphery of Russia, according to foreign students. Materials and Methods. Stages of the research: analysis of statistics on the number of foreign students in Russia, analysis and generalization of literary sources in the field of identifying the motives of applicants when making a decision to study at a foreign university, a sociological survey of foreign students studying at universities in the Volga Federal District, processing and generalization of the survey results, development of recommendations to increase the attractiveness of Russian higher education for foreign applicants. Results. According to the results of a sociological survey among foreign students studying at universities of the Volga Federal District, the attractive factors of choosing Russia as a country for higher education, as well as repulsive (negative) factors in their native country, were revealed. The reasons and goals of admission to the Russian university, the sources of information about Russia and the university, the criteria for choosing a Russian university were analyzed, the strategic goals of foreign students after graduation were identified. Discussion and Conclusion. The conclusions made by the authors contribute to the development of theoretical approaches and methodological tools for studying the choice of foreign universities by foreign students for their studies, identifying the motives and factors that influenced this choice. The materials of the article will be useful to scientists and researchers dealing with such problems, as well as to federal and regional governments, ministries of education, regional universities in developing programs to increase the international competitiveness of higher education in Russia and attract an international contingent of students.