Abstract:

International student mobility has tripled over the past 20 years [Glass & Cruz, 2023], making around 6 million of international students worldwide [UNESCO, 2022]. Increased student mobility has become a hot topic both globally and regionally, and this trend is no longer limited to the traditional “exporting countries” of higher education (USA, Canada, UK, Australia and France), who are facing increasing competition from “newcomers" to this market - New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Singapore and China [De Wit et al., 2013]. According to the Institute of International Education, Russia ranked 6th in the Top 10 leading countries by the number of inbound international students, ahead of, Germany, China, Japan, Italy, however behind the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Australia [Project Atlas, 2022]. The admission of foreign students brings benefits to the university and the local economy (development of scientific cooperation, cultural enrichment, increase in financial income, etc.). Therefore, it is important for administrations of higher education institutions to know which factors have a stronger influence on the selection process and how to attract foreign students. The purpose of this research was to identify the factors that has the highest level of impact on foreigners choosing Russian higher education.

The study was conducted in March - May of 2023 and included two stages: a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews and a survey of international students with a major in Economics and Management at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). 76 respondents took part in the survey, which represents 22% of all international students with major in Economics and Management.

Based on the literature review and series of qualitative interviews four groups of hypothesis were formulated to check factors, which influence the students’ decision to study abroad in general, and the choice of the country and university.

The research revealed that in most cases, the decision of the respondents to study at MSU was influenced by such factors as the high quality of education, high rating and brand awareness of MSU at home, as well as career prospects. In addition to the desire to get a high quality education, foreign applicants are motivated by the desire to gain international experience. The main factors influencing the choice in favor of Russia are the language, the cost of education and living, history and culture, as well as social ties. Additionally, we note that the cost of living as a factor is more important for bachelor than for master students. The main information resources from which future students learn about Russian universities are family, relatives and friends, university websites and ratings. Families of applicants play significant role at the stages of choosing a country and a university, and as a financial factor (83%) at the stage of making a decision on admission. Revealed results of the research may be used by university’s marketers for improving the communication strategy with potential students and their families.

Keywords:

Higher education marketing, international students, university choice behavior, factors of university choice.