Mobility of Russian University Students as a Phenomenon and a Management Problem

The paper is based on a survey conducted within the framework of the project «The Birth of a Russian Master» (initiated by the Institute of Education, HSE), its respondents being 3751 Bachelor’s degree students and 1147 Master’s degree students from 25 Russian universities. The importance of analysing students’ academic mobility, the organizational and financial measures taken to support it is proved by its increasing development. The purpose of this article is to identify management problems in the implementation of student mobility. Student mobility as a phenomenon is considered in two aspects: internationalization of education and students’ activity in building the trajectory of their professional development. Interpreting respondents’ answers, analysing government documents and university regulations made it possible to distinguish student mobility resources and management problems. The resources of student mobility include: state and non-state financial support for academic mobility, organizational and financial resources of universities, students’ activity in the sphere of their professional development. The academic mobility deterrents are: gaps in university regulation, limited financial resources, lacking readiness of the educational environment to implement incoming international students’ mobility. The study revealed the students’ professional activity and mobility, which are not taken into account within the educational process. As the authors conclude, it is necessary to create an «international environment» for international students’ integration in Russian education; to develop normative support of incoming and outgoing academic mobility; to organize a new scenario of university interaction with working students. The article may be of interest to the leaders of Russian universities.