Russian Phonetics, Chemistry, and Moscow Studies: Prep Year’s Big Plans for Next Academic Year

On July 3, 2026, the International Preparatory Year programme held its graduation ceremony. This academic year, 235 students from 57 countries were enrolled in the programme. Many of the graduates will continue their studies on HSE University bachelor’s and master’s programmes in 29 fields. The HSE News Service talked to the programme supervisors, teachers, and graduates about their impressions and plans.

Graduation took the format of a quest: there were eleven stations with various master classes, starting with a photo zone and ending with gifts. Every master class was dedicated to Russian fairy tales, folklore, and heroes.

Anastasia Zinchenko, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Russian as a Foreign Language, spoke about helping students adapt to the new environment.

Anastasia Zinchenko

‘For several years in a row we have held the Russian Speaking Club; each new season starts in October and we have different topics every month. We gather large groups of 50–60 students, which lets them socialise and relax with people both from their study group and beyond. Getting together and sharing who they are and where they come from helps boost students’ self-esteem while also introducing them to Russian culture. We have big plans for the next year: olympiads, conferences, the Russian Speaking Club, and even theatre plays and a singing club.’

Participation in international conferences and olympiads has become an important tool for integrating students of the programme into the academic environment. Speaking to a wide audience requires a high level of proficiency in the Russian language, including scientific terminology. In April and May 2026, Prep Year students participated in a number of major events.

‘Students take part in conferences in different cities, participate in olympiads, present their reports in Russian, and achieve great results,’ adds Anastasia Zinchenko.

Some students also opt to take the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL), the official state examination in Russian proficiency. ‘We cooperate with St Petersburg State University, who have a huge centre for TORFL testing. Many students take this test, including graduates of our programme who have been studying for several years and want to confirm their language proficiency. HSE students always pass this exam successfully,’ says Anastasia.

In the upcoming academic year, the programme will feature a number of innovations: a new field of study, a course in phonetics, and a ‘Moscow studies’ programme for fee-paying students. Polina Shanko, Deputy Director of the International Preparatory Year Programme, spoke about their achievements and plans for the coming year.

Polina Shanko

‘This year we had three trajectories of training: humanities, economics, and engineering. The engineering track turned out to be very successful—every enrolled student completed the programme. Every year we update the curricula and the programmes to meet the requirements of our students and their future admission trajectories.

For the next academic year, we added a new subject in the first module—phonetics— which is especially relevant to our students from China

A small number of students also studied on an individual curriculum. It’s a hybrid format—sometimes students join classes online, sometimes teachers communicate with them by e-mail, and they receive study materials and homework.’

The Prep Year is launching a new trajectory in chemistry and biology and increasing the number of Russian language classes and mathematics classes

‘Since mathematics at HSE University is quite complex and advanced, it’ll help students not get lost when they enrol in programmes, as they start studying mathematics in the universal language of numbers right from the first module—before they’ve even started to speak Russian,’ adds Polina Shanko.

A new subject is being added for fee-paying students: Moscow Studies.

At the end of the year, when the weather is good, there will be guided tours of Moscow with a teacher who will accompany students and help them learn about the city, not just the Russian language

Students of the programme come from various regions, including China, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Vietnam, India, and the USA. The groups are mixed so that students have a chance to immerse themselves in different cultures. Many students decide to continue their studies on HSE degree programmes, as they already understand the education system, modules, and assessment formula, know some of the teachers, and see how everything works.

‘We value our teachers, because they always fully support their students. We also have excellent managers who are always available and will always help. We conduct orientation sessions, and in general we are always open to communication,’ says Polina Shanko.

This year, representatives of the Centre for Russian Language and Culture at HSE University–St Petersburg also attended the event. Olga Tarakanova, Centre Head, spoke about the results of the programme’s implementation, plans for the upcoming academic year, and cooperation with colleagues from Moscow.

Olga Tarakanova

‘International students are very motivated and want to study at HSE University, so they choose us as a training centre. We aim to enrol twice as many students in our current enrolment. We held a meeting with our Moscow colleagues to discuss various formats of cooperation with their campus. International students are eager to see both Moscow and St Petersburg, so we want to implement is a joint summer or winter school at the two campuses.

We have mentoring support, as we wanted to give our students a less formal way to communicate with their colleagues at the university. I was pleasantly surprised at the feedback from the students—everyone gave their mentors a top rating,’ says Olga Tarakanova.

Next year the centre plans to launch an intensive Russian language programme for students of Japanese partner universities. ‘It’s a short one-month programme for students who study Russian. We have already recruited the students and are sorting out the final organisational details with our partners. The Japanese students are on vacation in September, so they will come to study Russian intensively with our teachers in St Petersburg,’ adds Olga Tarakanova.

Aigul Shaymardanova, Analyst at the Centre for Russian Language and Culture at HSE University–St Petersburg, spoke about the challenges students face and the ways the centre supports them.

Aigul Shaymardanova

‘International students face difficulties and stress when they come to Russia, so adaptation is very important to make them feel welcome. It’s crucial for us that each student can always find support in other students, supervisors, and teachers so that they can easily integrate into the cultural and academic environment. Students should know that there is a study office they can always come to for help—even with some personal problems. We try to help and always be available.’

Graduates from Bolivia, Afghanistan, and China also shared their impressions with the HSE News Service.

Nikolas Donato Buhezo Konick, Bolivia

‘Learning Russian was quite difficult because Spanish is a very different language. When I started talking to native speakers, it became a little bit easier to understand them. I always have some issues with grammar but people can understand me, so that’s the important thing.

After I finish my master’s degree in economics and statistics at another university, I’m going to continue doctoral studies at HSE because it’s a good university and I like it here very much. I decided to learn Russian because my mom is from a USSR country, speaks Russian, and has always wanted me to learn the language since I was a kid. What I liked the most is the people here—the teachers were patient and nice with me, and their methods were really good. It's kind of hard for a foreigner to adapt to a country with a different language where not a lot of people speak English. However, I can say that people helped me a lot. I found both Russian and foreign friends.’

Abdul Hakim Rawan, Afghanistan

‘It was a very good year, and now I can speak Russian with other students and teachers at HSE University. There were challenges at first, but we overcame them and I completed my programme. I’m going to continue my studies at HSE next year on the Master’s in Computer Systems and Networks. It will be in Russian with some courses in English, and after studying the language here I’m ready to pursue my master’s degree in Russian. I consider it a challenge for myself, so I’m very excited for my studies to commence.’

Zhu Jiafu, China

‘I really liked the programme—the atmosphere, the curriculum, the convenience of everything, and the teachers who are professional and love their job. I decided to learn Russian because Russia is China's biggest neighbour, there are good relations between our countries, and I really like this country. I'm looking for a job right now. I would like to work as journalist and write in Russian, but for now, I need to enhance my language proficiency so I can work with it professionally. For me, the hardest thing about the language is understanding. It's also difficult to memorise words. The grammar isn’t as scary to me.’

Since 2015, HSE’s International Prep Year programmes have trained international students with little or no knowledge of Russian before they begin Russian-taught degree programmes. Upon completing the programme, students possess intermediate-level language skills sufficient for enrolment in Russian-taught full-degree programmes at HSE and other Russian universities.