HSE University–St Petersburg International Summer Programmes Come to an End

This year, Chinese, Thai, Korean, and other languages were spoken in the classrooms of HSE University–St Petersburg. Forty students from sixteen countries came to St Petersburg to study political science, the Russian language, history, and economics. The international summer programmes united academic knowledge and vivid cultural exchange.

© Ksenia Stepanets | HSE University–St Petersburg

The International Summer School has been held at HSE University–St Petersburg since 2018. This year, it gathered 37 students from China, Vietnam, South Korea, India, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Turkey, Nigeria, Ghana, Ecuador, Italy, Germany, and other countries.

'The students of the International Summer School attended courses in political science, the Russian language, history, and economics. Each programme lasted for two weeks and the Russian language course lasted a month. Among the participants were 13 students from our partner universities, including the University of Malaya, Fudan University, Chung-Ang University, and other leading universities. Alongside the academic programme, we organised tours to Peterhof, the Hermitage, the State Russian Museum, and boat trips along rivers and canals. HSE students helped international guests to explore St Petersburg and its suburbs,' said Nadezhda Osipova, Manager of the Centre for International Education at HSE University–St Petersburg.

The studies covered four areas. Yury Kabanov delivered the course 'Introduction to Digital Politics: Eurasia in the Global Context,' while Natalia Novak and Eugenia Dobrenko taught 'Modern Russia: Russian Language and Culture.' The faculty of the School of Arts and Humanities, headed by Dean Adrian Selin, immersed the international students in the heritage of imperial and Soviet St Petersburg. Victor Krakovich, with colleagues from the School of Economics and Management, delivered lectures on the topic 'New Economic Drivers for Company.'

Yury Kabanov

Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs

This year, students from China and Russia attended my course. As always, they came from different fields of study. I genuinely value this aspect of the summer school—interdisciplinarity allows us to discuss the topics from various perspectives and find new, unexpected problems. Judging by the reviews, the students found the course interesting: they learned something new about the digital development of China, Russia, and other Eurasian countries, and also got acquainted with theories developed for analysing some familiar things: searching for information online, communication in social networks, and online purchases. I hope this course will help them to use the tools of social science to analyse processes in the online space in the future.

Junfu Lu

Student from China

I took an interest in the digital politics programme as it is closely related to my major—international relations. I think this course is very helpful for my future. The topic is interesting and promising, especially considering the global situation. I really liked the professor. Though English is not his native language, he speaks fluently, and it is easy to understand his speech. The lectures immersed us in specific topics, and each task included lots of different opinions. I liked the university: for instance, yesterday, I studied at the library—it was very quiet there, and the atmosphere was perfect for studying. I feel very comfortable in St Petersburg. I liked everything.

Thuy Linh Tran

Student from Vietnam

I have wonderful impressions of the International Summer School. There was a very friendly group of students from different countries. Every day, we had a lot of fun and laughed a lot. In summer, St Petersburg is incredibly beautiful, and there are a lot of cultural events. One of my best memories is the sunset, the bridge opening, and the sunrise near the Neva River with my friends. Thanks a lot for organising such an amazing programme!

Akabueze Daniel Onyekachukwu

Student from Nigeria

As an HSE student, I received a scholarship to participate in the Summer School, in the course 'Modern Russia: Russian Language and Culture.' It is a truly international, multicultural educational platform for students from Nigeria, Ghana, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Italy, and other countries. I mastered the basic Russian language: a passerby asked me something in the street, and I answered in Russian! I also expanded my social circle, which is also important for my career and future. The course was intense, and our professor Natalia Novak is awesome. She was patient, kind, sympathetic, and friendly. I fondly remember wonderful moments of studies and night conversations in the dormitory. I am looking forward to summer 2026. I hope to meet my friends again during the Summer School

Yiran Sun

Student from China

It was my first experience of participating in an international educational programme, and I am glad I opted for HSE University. HSE University–St Petersburg can boast not only a high academic level but also excellent professors, which helped us in our work. Everyone treated us very kindly. Over the last 20 days, the programme manager Nadezhda Osipova supported us in everything: from studies to daily life and leisure. Thanks to her, I felt at home. I am sincerely grateful to HSE University–St Petersburg for such a great opportunity to broaden my horizons and enhance my knowledge.

Simultaneously with the Summer School, HSE University–St Petersburg held the specialised two-month programme 'Russian Language and Culture' for students of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Thammasat University (Thailand). This is the second time that HSE University–St Petersburg has organised the course at the request of the Thai partner university.

Three students—Chutikarn Suripaisansakul, Nacha Wongsasawat, and Wipawanee Yodnil—improved their Russian language proficiency and studied the cultural heritage of Russia, supervised by Tatiana Astaikina, senior lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages of the School of Arts and Humanities.

'The girls are very motivated. They have profound knowledge of Russian history, but there was a problem with speaking practice—there is none at their university. We worked every day for five hours, focusing a lot on phonetics. We mostly communicated in Russian and used English only as a last resort. We read tailored news—there is a great textbook for A2 level. The main thing is that the students embraced the Russian spirit so much that all of them are planning to continue their education in Russia. This is a perfect example of how educational programmes contribute to international cooperation,' said Tatiana Astaikina.

The students' major at Thammasat University is Russian Studies, and they want to continue their studies in a master's programme at HSE University–St Petersburg. It's worth mentioning that two out of five participants of the similar programme in 2023 have already become master's students of HSE University.

'We have been studying the Russian language for three years, but it was mostly theory and grammar. We lacked practice, so we chose your university for the summer programme. The first impression of the university was excellent—HSE students met us at the airport very warmly, and they were friendly and hospitable. St Petersburg is incredibly beautiful. The architecture here is excellent. We really like it. To develop speaking skills in the future, we will watch the cartoon Kid-E-Cats ('Три кота'). We tried and truly enjoyed it. It offers lots of everyday dialogues and vocabulary,' shared one participant of the programme 'Russian Language and Culture.'

The students from Thailand fully immersed themselves in Russian life: they went shopping every day and had to buy warm clothes because of the cold St Petersburg weather in June. The cultural programme, according to Tatiana Astaikina, was also eventful, with tours to the Hermitage, the State Russian Museum, the Peter and Paul Fortress, and St Isaac's Cathedral, as well as boat trips along rivers and canals and trips to Peterhof and Komarovo. During the excursion on Architect's Day in the Rope Shop Building, the students attended a classical music concert, where the musicians performed compositions by Rachmaninoff. The professor underscored that it was a real gift for the girls.

HSE University–St Petersburg is actively developing ties with Thammasat University—representatives of the Thai university took part in International Partners' Week in May. Now, the parties are considering extending their partnership agreement.

Out of the 340,000 students attending St Petersburg's universities, one in ten is an international student. HSE University–St Petersburg is actively developing academic mobility programmes with foreign partner universities, creating opportunities for shaping international relations which students can use in their future careers. Since 2022, HSE University–St Petersburg has created partnerships with more than 50 leading international universities and organisations.