Knowledge is soft power: African applicants storm Russian universities
The majority of applicants from Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Mali and Chad have applied to study at Russian universities from African countries, Rossotrudnichestvo told Izvestia. Most often they choose "Medicine", "Economics" and "Software Engineering" for their studies. Every year the number of quotas for students from this continent increases, the Ministry of Education and Science reminded. How Russia is increasing cooperation with Africa with the help of "soft power" - in the material of "Izvestia".
What Africans study in Russia
The majority of applications for studies in Russian universities from African countries are now submitted by applicants from Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Mali and Chad, Rossotrudnichestvo told Izvestia.
According to the interviewed experts, the overwhelming majority of Africans in Russia study not at their own expense, but under the quota of the Russian government. It includes free tuition, reduced cost of living in a dormitory and a stipend. The reason for this situation is Russia's growing strategic interest in the continent and, accordingly, the increase in budget places for such students. In addition, there are minimal recruitment agencies working on the continent, which should attract foreigners to study in Russia. And this is already related to the factor of the population's ability to pay.
During the selection campaign for the 2024-2025 academic year, more than 14,000 applications from African candidates were submitted, the competition amounted to 2.7 people per place, Rossotrudnichestvo said. In October 2024, the first stage of selection of foreign citizens, stateless persons and compatriots for training under the quota for the next academic year started.
For the same citizens of African countries were allocated a quota of more than 4.7 thousand budget seats - at the level of the last year, but twice as much as the year before last, reported "Izvestia" in the Ministry of Education and Science. As Deputy Head of the Ministry Dmitry Pyshny noted in the spring of 2024, the quota was increased in accordance with the Concept of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, approved in 2023: it implies strengthening and deepening of Russian-African cooperation.
For the next academic year, more than 4.8 thousand places have been allocated to African countries. "The annual increase in quota places for African countries testifies to the interest of foreign applicants in receiving Russian education," the Ministry of Education and Science told Izvestia.
Mostly from the African continent enroll for studies in medicine, economics, computer science, international relations, oil and gas and construction, Rossotrudnichestvo specified.
Where African graduates work
The Ministry of Education and Science cited data from the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, according to which the bulk of graduates from African countries return home and find work in their specialty.
"Doctors, engineers and agrarians trained at the university work in most countries of the African continent," the department said. - At the same time, many PFUR graduates are employed in the public administration system of their countries".
PFUR graduates do hold government posts in their countries - Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Minister of Emergency Situations, Elena Apasova, Vice-Rector for Strategic Communications of the University, told Izvestia.
According to her, the university has 47 communities of students from African countries.
- Our graduates head alumni associations in Zambia, South Africa, Tanzania," Elena Apasova said.
"Izvestia" specified that among the PFUR alumni is the Prime Minister of the Republic of Chad Yusuf Saleh Abbas, who held this post in 20078-2010 and graduated from the university in 1979. President of Namibia Hifikepunye Pohamba also received his diploma here in 1981 and held office in 2002-2015. Graduates of this university held ministerial posts in Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mali and other African states.
As Rossotrudnichestvo noted, PFUR is the university where African students enroll most often. Next are St. Petersburg State University, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, and Stankin Moscow State Technological University.
The PFUR press service informed Izvestia that now PFUR has 2670 African students from 54 countries studying at the university, most of them on the budget (2263 people), 407 on contract.
- Most of them come from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Egypt, Zambia, Algeria, Chad, Sierra Leone, Angola, Guinea," the university said. - If we compare the admission campaign of this year and last year, we register the growth of applicants from Africa. This year 733 people entered PFUR for Bachelor's, Specialist's and Master's degree programs, 205 more than in 2023.
90% of this year's enrollees are budget students, the university confirmed.
Investment for Russia
Russian universities have always been attractive for students from African countries, given the competitive tuition prices, a fairly wide range of specialties and high quality of teaching, Vsevolod Sviridov, deputy director of the Center for African Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.
- If we talk, for example, about the Higher School of Economics, the cost of some study programs here is comparable to what is offered by African universities. At the same time, competition within Africa for places in good universities is very high. That is why many African students choose to go to Russia to get a good quality education here," he said.
According to Vsevolod Sviridov, the "soft power" factor remains important, although the concrete results of such educational cooperation will be visible at best only in about 20 years.
- We have a good Soviet foundation, and there are even more Africans studying in Russian universities now. When traveling in Africa, it is quite common in negotiations to meet someone who studied here. They retain good memories of their youth in Russia, and often help Russian companies to enter the markets. By the way, a great many African university rectors studied in the Soviet Union. Of course, it is not enough just to educate a student - you need to work with him or her continuously after graduation to ensure that he or she contributes to the development of Russian-African relations," he concluded.
Cedric Avela Ndjana, a student from Cameroon, who is studying oil and gas engineering at the RUDN Master's program, told Izvestia that he chose the Russian university because it was easier to get access to knowledge in his specialty here than in France.
- There was a lot of negative information about Russia in the French media. And when I came to Russia, it seemed to me that people here were not as open to each other as they were in my country. However, as soon as I started studying and socializing with people, everything changed. I made friends," he said. - The teachers are very, very attentive and supportive of us, given that we are adapting to a new environment and culture.
Cedric Avela Ndjana said he plans to return to Cameroon after graduation to use the knowledge he has gained.
Political scientist Alexei Makarkin reminded Izvestia that last year PFUR was given back the name of Patrice Lumumba, the national hero of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which also symbolizes Russia's growing interest in African countries. Patrice Lumumba remains a strong brand in a number of states on the continent, he noted.
The expert also called the process of studying in universities for representatives of African countries back in the days of the Soviet Union "a long-term investment".
- However, it was hardly expected then that it would turn out to be so long-term," noted Alexei Makarkin. - In the 90s, the process of attracting students from Africa was practically forgotten. But now everything has come in handy.
So he called the current process of deepening Russian-African relations, including through education, an investment in the future: the Soviet policy of "soft power", he said, worked many years after the collapse of the USSR.
- And here I am talking not only about the political elite of these countries, but also the economic and cultural elite," he said. - We train not only people who will work there in government agencies, but also in business, including private business. And this element of our "soft power" will work in many years to come.
He also noted that the number of students from Europe has decreased in Russia in recent years, so their places have been redistributed among representatives of other countries. However, the expert reminded, Europeans went to Russia mainly to study at their own expense, i.e. on a commercial basis, while Africans mainly study under a quota.
