Frequently Asked Questions about HSE Admissions and Enrolment
Getting admitted to the HSE University may sometimes seem tricky because of technical issues or mere confusion. We will do our best to prevent any possible problems, but if you find yourself at a loss, you can always turn to us. Here we provide answers to the most frequently asked questions about the admissions process. We hope they will help you to avoid mistakes and submit your documents as swiftly as possible.
When is the application deadline for scholarships? How are scholarship recipients selected? Is there a minimal admission score required to apply to a state-funded place?
All scholarships are distributed by the relevant HSE committee once the foreign applicants have passed all of their entrance exams.
The decision is made based on your performance in the HSE’s intellectual competitions (e.g., for undergraduate programmes: Global Scholarship Competition, Inter-regional Olympiad for School Students “Vyshaya Proba”, International Economics Olympiad, Open Competition of Research and Project Works for School Students “Vyshiy Pilotazh”; for Master’s programmes: HSE Olympiad for Students and Graduates, 'Open Doors' Olympiad, Olympiad “I am a Professional”), as well as in the international olympiads and competitions (the list of acknowledged competitions is determined by the HSE education programmes). Your entrance exam results, i.e. tests (for undergraduate programmes) or portfolio competition (for Master’s programmes) are also taken into account.
If you have been awarded a full-tuition (governmental) scholarship, this information will be posted in your personal account after the HSE Committee has made its decision. Please make sure to accept or reject this offer in your personal account within 30 days.
What do foreign citizens who are winners or prizewinners of the “Vyshaya Proba” Olympiad need to do?
First, please make sure to register your foreign applicant’s personal account. As soon as you receive an identification number, the information about your participation in various olympiads will be posted in the “Participation in Olympiads” section. If you have received an identification number but there is still no information in the Olympiads section, please send a message to the moderator of your personal account. We will check your account and correct any problems if necessary.
What are the submission requirements and application procedures for the ASAV system (comprehensive academic information system)?
For example, it seems unclear which pages of your passport should be translated. Please note that a passport translation is necessary only if there are no fields in Russian in your passport. If your passport is made entirely in a foreign language, please obtain a translation of the two pages with the most essential information.
Furthermore, if you are a citizen of one of the countries from the list below, you do not need to have an international (travel) passport.
If you are a citizen of Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, or Tadzhikistan, you may use either your internal passport or international passport as your ID. Please note that your ID will not be accepted in the scholarship system of the Government of the Russian Federation.
Is there an HSE mobile app?
The current version of the foreign applicant’s personal account is compatible with computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Therefore, at this time we do not plan to develop a special mobile application.
If I have a question about the enrolment process, whom do I contact and how?
If you have more questions, you can always send them to the moderator of your personal account in the ASAV system. We do not recommend sending your requests via your Hotmail and Yahoo accounts, as there may be technical issues with message delivery. Please make sure to double check if there are any mistakes in your mailbox, and whether or not you have sent your request from your foreign applicant’s personal account.
How long does the enrolment procedure take?
The actual enrolment procedure will take approximately two hours. After your arrival at the end of August, you can complete all procedures within one day.
How important are my grades from my previous school? What academic certificates or exams are required?
The grade point average on your high school diploma will not influence your enrolment to HSE undergraduate programmes, and, as for Master’s degree admissions, each programme puts forth its own requirements of the applicants’ portfolio. If ‘academic background’ is one of the requirements in your portfolio, you will need to provide documents certifying your academic background. If a TOEFL or IELTS certificate is required (we accept the Academic module), then you need to upload them as well.
One of the main ways to enrol in an HSE undergraduate programme is to pass an entrance exam (test).
Online exams are normally scheduled on Moscow time, whereas on-site exams are scheduled according to local time. You can change your choice of exam format (on-site vs online), but please make sure to do this no later than one week prior to the first day of the exam period.
The results for on-site tests will be posted in your personal account within two weeks from the exam date. The results for online tests will be posted in your personal account within one week from the exam date. The final decision regarding test results will be posted by the deadline specified in Step 3 of the corresponding section at admissions.hse.ru. If you don’t see the final decision in your personal account for a long time, please contact a moderator.
What is important to know about the tuition contract for students who will study on a fee-paying basis?
If you have signed your tuition agreement and paid the tuition fee, in theory, you could still opt to change your programme and sign a new contract, but this will take more time. Moreover, you won’t be able to get an additional 5% scholarship for early-bird applicants. Therefore, we recommend that you don’t make a hasty decision. Make your choice carefully and in advance.
If payment in roubles isn’t possible in your home country, you won’t be able to pay your tuition upon arrival to Moscow in September. But please note that you can still pay online by credit card here: https://pay.hse.ru/.
When you receive the contract, please read it, print it out and submit a signed copy and a payment receipt to the manager of your programme.
Some countries offer various student loans for study-abroad programmes. If you want to use that opportunity, please ask a manager of the Centre for International Student Admissions for more information.
In addition, if you demonstrate high academic performance during your studies, you can transfer to a state-funded slot in your programme, i.e. get a partial or full scholarship from the Russian Government. For more information about scholarships please visit the webpage: https://www.hse.ru/scholarships/.
What does 'Diploma Recognition' procedure involve?
At one of the following stages, you will be requested to pass the official recognition procedure for your academic credentials issued outside of Russia. Your documents will be reviewed by our experts and you will be notified by email. Alternatively, you can check the “Diploma Recognition” section in your personal account.
A “provisionally recognized” status means that your documents have successfully passed the verification process. The final decision on recognition and your subsequent enrolment will be made once you submit the original documents upon your arrival in Moscow. If your documents aren’t presented in Russian, please make sure to have them translated into Russian.
Even if you know that your home country and Russia have an agreement on mutual recognition of academic credentials, you will still need to go through the recognition procedure.
This won’t take long and you can apply for recognition via your foreign applicant’s personal account or through another account for Russian citizens who hold foreign degrees; to learn more click here.
In some cases, you will also need to legalize your diploma/degree certificate. It involves two steps: 1) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of your home country, 2) the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in your home country. Please note that documents can only be legalized in the same country where you obtained your diploma. You may opt to legalize copies of your documents instead of originals.
You don’t need to have a translation of your documents when you submit the electronic application, however, in order to enrol in the university, you will need to present an official translation of your academic credentials into Russian (officially certified by a notary); you can do it upon arrival to Moscow.
If you have not yet received your degree certificate/diploma at the time of submission, you can send an official academic transcript (with grades) or a formal letter from the university/school proving that you were enroled at that institution and have successfully completed the academic programme. This letter should also indicate the date when your diploma/degree certificate is expected. For more information, contact us at recognition@hse.ru.
If the documents are drawn up in two languages (including Russian), you do not need to present an official translation (even if the seal is in the national language of your home country).
If you have a certificate from the Russian State Center for Education Evaluation, you should still fill in the Diploma Recognition section. Please upload scans of your diploma(s) and the certificate issued by RSCEE. In this case, it will take less time to review your application.
When can I check in to my dorm? What do I need to do upon arrival?
Now that you’ve completed all admission procedures, welcome to HSE! It’s time to check into your dormitory which will become your home for the next couple of years.
If you arrive before the enrolment dates, please note that you can only check into the dormitory once you get a referral in your personal account, i.e. not earlier than August 19, 2019.
When checking into the dormitory, you must submit the following documents: a medical certificate (an official medical statement similar to the Russian official form 086/у) and a copy of its officially notarized translation. The certificate should state your immunization status and certify that you have no communicable diseases (tuberculosis, measles, HIV, hepatitis B, etc.).
Unfortunately, you cannot choose a specific dormitory or change it. All international students who need help with accommodation are guaranteed a dormitory place for the duration of their study. For more information please see the website. You can pay for the dormitory after signing a dormitory housing tenancy agreement, i.e. upon your arrival to Moscow.
Some students (male citizens of the Russian Federation) will need a certificate confirming their deferment from military service for the duration of their study. You can get this certificate starting from July. Please send an email to inter@hse.ru and we will forward you a scanned copy of the certificate. You can also pick up the original document in Room 114, 13/1 Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, Moscow.
HSE University offers preparatory programmes designed for international students who are planning to enter a Russian-taught full-degree programme at HSE University or another Russian university. All international students enrolled in preparatory programmes are guaranteed a place in one of the HSE student dormitories. After completing a prepratory programme, you can apply for both the English-language and the Russian-language degree programmes.
While you are taking the preparatory programme, you are allowed to change the degree programme you will go on to, but please note that you will be required to pass entrance exams, i.e. a test for undergraduate programmes and portfolio competition for Master’s programmes. The final decision as to whether or not you can change your programme will be made by the programme management.