Abstract:

Introduction:
Restructuring the education system due to its modernization in the context of the fourth industrial revolution ("Industry 4.0") sets the new challenge of preparing specialists for the future. At the same time, changes in the system of Russian higher education do not always correspond to modern challenges, market requirements and student demands. The purpose of the article is to analyze the opinions of university students about risk zones in the field of educational activities. Authors carried out the empirical typology of risks in the field of education and measured the attitude towards them in two groups of students: with a high and a reduced level of educational success.

Research Methods:
The study results are based on was the massive online survey of university students, conducted in 2021 in a large industrial region of Russia (Sverdlovsk region). Quota sampling was used, the sample size was 933 people. Quotas were formed according to areas, levels of training of students and types of universities (the error in quota criteria did not exceed 2%). The sample was based on open statistical data on the number of students in the Sverdlovsk region. TwoStep cluster analysis and correlation analysis were implemented on data.

Results:
The study revealed 4 groups of risks:
1) the risks of inconsistency of the higher education system with the ideas of students about its role in their professional and personal development;
2) the risks of entering the vocational education system;
3) the risks of the implementation of educational activities;
4) the risks of its result. Clustering students on self-assessments of educational success resulted in two clusters.

The first group (37%) is characterized by a high level of self-esteem and the second (63%) - by lower level of self-esteem. These clusters of students also differ in their risk ratings. The students of the second cluster demonstrate increased risks of all four types. They believe that higher education in Russia does not guarantee them success in their professional and personal development. They show the increased risks of disappointment in the chosen specialty and the knowledge acquired in the profession. They are less active and effective in the implementation of educational activities and more than others feel the fear for its formal bad results (ratings, points, diploma).

Conclusions:
Students in both groups do not consider higher education a significant resource for their future. Only 30% of students believe that education gives confidence in the future, makes finding a good job easier, and is an important factor in self-realization. Research shows that we need to deepen the dialogue between students and educational management in modernizing education and delivering its goals and meaning to the student community.

Keywords:

Higher education, students as a social community, risks in educational activities, educational success.