Student loans in Russian Federation: policy options

In keeping with the themes of this special issue-namely tuition fees, student financial assistance, and the theory and practice of higher educational cost-sharing-this article will examine the particularly faltering steps in the Russian Federation (indeed in all of the so-called transitional countries) towards implementation of a workable student loan program. It will briefly review the case for cost-sharing, student loans, governmental participation in student loans, and the principal forms of student loans in use around the world. This article will then review Russia's initial steps toward a student loan program, some of the problems with these ventures, and the applicability of the increasingly popular (as of 2005) income contingent student loan models for Russia and other transitional countries. We close with some recommendations for consideration in the further deliberations about Student loans in the Russian Federation.