MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russian universities should work on attracting more foreign students in order to rise to the top of global rankings, according to Vladimir Briller, Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research at the Pratt Institute in New York.
Rising to the top of world's ratings should be a key priority for Russian universities today. One of the ways to make that happen is to work more proactively to increase the number of foreign students. What gives Russian universities a competitive edge in the global education market? What main criteria should aspiring foreign students have to look at when choosing a Russian university? RIA Novosti's Anna Kurskaya brings up these and other related questions in an interview with Vladimir Briller, an expert in international education, Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research at Pratt Institute in New York.
Q.: Mr. Briller, what are Russian universities' selling points internationally?
A.: Russian universities have always been renowned for the in-depth education they provide in mathematics, engineering and natural sciences. So the schools of thought founded at universities can be described as their main asset today. More often than not, Russian engineers, mathematicians, software programmers, physicists and chemists have little or no difficulty finding employment outside Russia. I have friends with a Russian academic background who got jobs here, in the United States, within a rather short time span. And among the Russian university graduates working around the world, quite a few have distinguished themselves as competent professionals.
As for social sciences, the outlook currently is not optimistic. First of all, Russia still has no established schools of thought in the field. Also, the status of social sciences has been rather shaky here historically. Admittedly, there are universities out there that offer strong enough programs in social sciences, but such institutions are still few and far between, and facing fierce competitions with foreign counterparts. I'm particularly referring to the Higher School of Economics, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow State University (MGU) and several others. But I'm not sure Russia would be the destination of choice for many foreigners thinking about enrolling in a humanities program.
International accreditation of study programs with reputed accrediting agencies could be of much help to Russian universities. For engineering sciences, there is an organization known as ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). It certifies compliance of a specific educational program with a certain standard. In the United States, for example, employers always check university programs for ABET accreditation. So engineering or computer science majors who have completed a non-certified course will find it extremely hard, if not impossible, to find themselves a job after graduation.
In Russia, only two of the existing programs are ABET-certified because the agency accredits not an educational establishment as a whole, but programs it offers in certain study areas. So far, only the Southern Federal University (SFU) of Taganrog and the State University of Tomsk (SUT) have been certified by ABET, and that accreditation serves as a quality proof for them. So companies aware of ABET - and such companies account for half of the world's businesses - will be only too glad to have Taganrog and Tomsk University graduates among their staffers as only these two establishments make their high standing wide-known.
Q.: Why do so few Russian universities have international accreditation at this point?
A.: Very few. For comparison, Turkey has 42 of its engineering programs ABET- accredited. Part of the reason is the rigorousness of the accreditation requirements. Also, the procedure itself is quite expensive - $35,000-40,000 plus travel expenses for inspectors. I don't think the price tag is what should matter most here, though. The important thing is to bring a university in line with international standards adopted in a given field.
Q.: But along with accreditation, there are international rankings, right? Some of the Russian universities rank rather highly, although not in the top hundred, unfortunately. Isn't this a sufficient prerequisite for their graduates to find good employment abroad?
A.: Regardless of career prospects, I can say that a university's ranking is a strong selling point for foreign students. My own institute is an example of that. Pratt is a leading US school of art, design and architecture. It's 126 years old and is ranked among the world's top ten in a number of study areas. Some of its programs are extremely popular with foreign students, who go through a tough selection process to get in. As of today, foreigners account for just over a quarter of our student body, and they usually major in high-ranking areas such as architecture, interior design and industrial design. Rankings are an efficient way of attracting new students.
Having said that, I don't think a high ranking is enough to guarantee quality education. I know from first-hand experience just how ranking forms are filled out; I personally am involved in compiling U.S. News & World Report ratings. It's all very subjective. There are some objective indicators we should consider - faculty turnover, alumni's perceptions, etc. But the assessment of a university's academic reputation can never be precise.
Q.: What criteria do you think aspiring foreign students should use when choosing a Russian university to apply to?
A.: In choosing an educational program, aspiring foreign students worldwide tend to look primarily at its quality and reputation. Criteria such as accommodation and sports facilities are important as well, but secondary.
How can the quality of education be proved? One way would be for a university to tell the world about its outstanding alumni and their innovations. Also, there's such a thing as advertising, and in the West, universities often use PR and branding agencies to promote themselves.
I think that schools like the Southern Federal University (SFU) of Taganrog and the State University of Tomsk (SUT) have a high potential for attracting international students at this point. This is thanks precisely to the quality of their science and engineering programs. Novosibirsk University also has a lot of potential, I believe.
As for Moscow-based universities, attracting foreign students may prove quite a challenge, with the cost of living in the Russian capital being so high. And I don't think a lot of aspiring students from the CIS, Asia and Africa can afford tuition at Moscow's high-ranking universities.
I recommend that at the initial stage, Russian universities should accept all foreigners who apply and later designate them into groups according to their level. The idea is to build up a reputation based on the quantity of foreign students first. Their numbers should grow every year.
Q.: And then again, the presence of foreign students will raise a university's standing with QS and other international rankings.
A.: This creates a self-perpetuating cycle, actually. A university with a higher share of foreign students will be ranked higher. But if you aren't high enough on the rankings, there's no way you can attract more international students. This is something that can take years to achieve.
