Structural changes in the Russian higher education system

The article examines various stages of development of the Russian higher education system after the 1990/91 academic year and related changes in the structure of personnel training in state (municipal) universities. Particular attention is paid to the structure of full-time admission to bachelor’s, specialist and master’s degrees in five constituent entities of the Russian Federation, which account for almost 40 % of full-time admission and more than 50 % of the income of state (municipal) universities from educational activities. It is shown that full-time admission carried out at the expense of the federal budget and full-time admission carried out at the expense of the population reflect the difference in preferences of the state and the population in the choice of areas of training and specialties. It is shown that full-time admission in the STEM group (natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics) in Russia as a whole approached half, and in the five regions analyzed exceeded 50 %, and a further increase in admission in this group may lead to a decline in the quality of engineering education.