Number of Students and Vacant Slots
Student Enrolment as of 1 October 2026
|
Total student enrolment |
13 |
|
State-funded places (federal budget) |
10 |
|
Fee-paying places (tuition agreements) |
3 |
|
Places funded under intergovernmental agreements (within the federal budget quota) |
0 |
Available tuition-free places for students transferring from fee-paying to tuition-free education as of 26 October 2026
|
|
Places funded by federal budget allocations and university funds |
Places under targeted education agreements |
|---|---|---|
|
Year 1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Year 2 |
0 |
0 |
The next application period for students currently enrolled on a fee-paying basis who wish to transfer to tuition-free education will run from 26 October to 1 November 2026.
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Information on the procedure for transferring from fee-paying to tuition-free education
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Applications must be submitted through the “Application for Tuition-Free Education” module in the "IStudy" student portal.
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Vacant places are updated on the day the application campaign opens.
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The number of vacant state-funded places is indicated for the years of study offered in the 2026/2027 academic year.
Vacant Places for Transfers from Other HSE University Educational Programmes and Other Educational Institutions as of 1 October 2026
|
Places funded by federal budget allocations |
Places under fee-paying education agreements | |
|---|---|---|
|
Year 1 | ||
|
Year 2 |
Applications for transfer to the educational programme will be accepted from 1 December to 15 December 2026.
For HSE University Students
- Transfer procedure to another program
- Applications must be submitted via the "Transfer" module in the Unified Personal Account (ELK) within the timeframes specified above.
For Students from Other Educational Institutions
- Transfer procedure to HSE University
- List of required documents
- Applications must be submitted via the electronic service in the Unified Personal Account (ELK) within the timeframes specified above.
Applications submitted outside the timeframes established by the educational program will not be considered. Transfer conditions and information regarding assessment tests are available on the educational program's website under the "For Students" – "Transfer and Reinstatement" section.
Application period: 1–15 December 2026
Does citizenship affect eligibility?
Students of HSE University who are citizens of the Russian Federation are eligible to transfer from a fee-paying place to a state-funded (tuition-free) place. Foreign citizens and stateless persons are also eligible if, under the legislation of the Russian Federation, they have the right to study at the expense of the federal budget, the budgets of constituent entities of the Russian Federation, or local budgets.
Please note: International students studying under the Russian Government quota are not eligible to transfer to a vacant state-funded place. Likewise, international students studying on a fee-paying basis are not eligible to transfer to a vacant quota place.
Foreign citizens and stateless persons eligible for transfer to a state-funded place
Students of HSE University – St. Petersburg who are foreign citizens or stateless persons may transfer from a fee-paying to a state-funded place on the following grounds:| Grounds | Citizenship (or stateless status) | Condition | Supporting documents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Education (Tashkent, 15 May 1992) | Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine | Citizenship of a country party to the Agreement | Russian residence permit |
| 2 | Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Georgia on Cooperation in Culture, Science and Education of 2 February 1994, No. 49 | Georgia | Citizenship of a country party to the Agreement | Russian residence permit |
| 3 | Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Abkhazia on Cooperation in Education of 27 April 2012 Please note: the list of eligible fields of study is limited to the interests of Abkhazia and is considered on an individual basis. | Republic of Abkhazia | Citizenship of a country party to the Agreement | Foreign passport |
| 4 | Federal Law No. 99-FZ of 24 May 1999 “On the State Policy of the Russian Federation Regarding Compatriots Abroad” | Any foreign country, or stateless status, with confirmed status of a compatriot living abroad | Foreign citizenship (or stateless status) and the documents required under Part 6, Article 17 of Law No. 99-FZ | 1. Foreign passport (regardless of any residence registration stamps), or a certificate of temporary asylum, or an identity document of a stateless person together with a document confirming permanent residence in another country. 2. Proof of belonging to one of the following categories of compatriots living abroad:
|
Contacts
For questions about transferring from a fee-paying to a state-funded place, please contact the Programme Office of your degree programme.
Main Criteria for Transfer to a State-Funded Place
The procedure and criteria for transferring a student from fee-paying to state-funded (tuition-free) education are established by Order of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation No. 822 of 28 August 2023.
In accordance with this Procedure, a student may apply for transfer to state-funded education (provided that a vacant state-funded place is available in the educational programme) if the following conditions are met:
At the time of submitting the application, the student has no:
- academic debts (and, accordingly, is not studying under a special-type individual curriculum involving the repeated study of certain courses);
- disciplinary sanctions;
- arrears in tuition fee payments.
When can first-year students apply on the grounds of academic performance?
First-year students may apply for transfer to a state-funded place no earlier than the winter campaign, as applicants must already have their results for the semester.
When is information on vacant state-funded places in the educational programme published?
Information on the number of vacant state-funded places is published according to the following schedule:
- After the autumn retake period: 26 October
- After the Module 2 examination session: 27 January
- After the winter retake period: 10 March
- After the Module 4 examination session: 21 July
If the established publication date falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline may be postponed to the first working day following the weekend or public holiday.
Where is information on vacant state-funded places in the educational programme published?
Information on the number of vacant state-funded places (if any) and on the deadlines for submitting applications for transfer from fee-paying to state-funded education is published on the HSE University portal, on the web pages of the educational programmes (section "Number of Students and Vacant Slots"). The information is published within the time frames established by the Regulations, following the end of the Module 2 and Module 4 examination sessions and the retake periods, for each year of study of the educational programme.
What is the procedure for applying for transfer to a state-funded place?
- At HSE University, applications must be submitted within seven calendar days from the start date of the campaign (inclusive).
- In their personal account in the IStudy system (istudy.hse.ru), students studying on a fee-paying basis have access to the “Application for transition to a free place” module, through which they must submit their applications for transfer to state-funded education.
From what date does the transfer to state-funded education take effect following the relevant decision of the Commission?
- from 1 November for the autumn campaign following the retake period;
- from 1 February for the winter campaign;
- from 1 April for the spring campaign following the retake period;
- from 1 September for the summer campaign.
Decision-making on transfer to state-funded education
Once the period for reviewing the accepted applications has ended, the decision to transfer a student from fee-paying to state-funded education is made by the Commission of HSE University – St Petersburg in accordance with the established order of priority and the set of qualitative criteria for ranking students.
The Commission makes its decision taking into account the opinion of the Student Council of HSE University – St Petersburg.
The decision is formalised in the minutes of the Commission meeting.
Important
- If a student is eligible to apply for transfer to state-funded education but was unable to submit an application within the established deadline, they may apply in the next period.
- If a student meets the academic performance criteria but there are no vacant state-funded places in the corresponding year of study of the educational programme, the student cannot be transferred to state-funded education.
- If a student is applying for a vacant targeted training place, they must attach to the application a confirmation of consent from the sponsoring organisation: either a targeted training agreement or a letter of consent to conclude such an agreement.
Date of transfer to state-funded education following the relevant decision of the Commission
- from 1 November for the autumn campaign following the retake period;
- from 1 February for the winter campaign;
- from 1 April for the spring campaign following the retake period;
- from 1 September for the summer campaign.
