As we know, the number of school graduates decreased by 10% this year, compared to last year. What about the competition?

The number of applicants to our Bachelor’s program has decreased as well, but only by 6%. However, the number of applicants to the Master’s program has increased significantly. Last year the number of those who desired to enter the Master’s program accounted for 361 people, this year it accounts for 548 people, which means the increase by more than 65%. The enrollment competition for one state-funded place on some programs reached 5-6 people. It is gratifying that a large number of applicants were from the best Russian universities, such as MSU, HSE, MGIMO, RUE and others.

Could you tell us more about the applicants to the Bachelor’s program?

First of all, high school graduates from all Russian regions enter our university. Most of them are from Moscow and Moscow region (5400 people), but there are also students from Kamchatka (5 people), Magadan region (3 people), Murmansk region (6 people), Kaliningrad region (20 people), Kabardino-Balkar Republic (60 people), Bashkortostan (75 people), Samara region (57 people), etc. Among the applicants there are 535 winners and medalists of academic competitions.

Interesting statistics on the average USE score according on the submitted applications:

Those scores are very high, thus the average score of admitted students will be higher.

In the previous years, you were against the academic competitions. Has anything changed?

As a matter of fact, I was not against the academic competitions, but against their number and quality. How can one be a winner of the competition if his or her average USE score is 20-35 points? Today the situation has changed: the number has decreased and the quality has increased. However, the problems remain. Unfortunately, Russian Ministry of Justice didn’t support our suggestion to allow the winners and medalists of competitions to enter only one university. Today every student sends his or her documents to 5 or even more universities. While expecting that they stay in our university, we lose the students with very high scores.

Why do we need the academic competitions?

Undoubtedly, we need academic competitions. It is not a recent invention. As a high school student, I took part in district and regional competitions. But at those times it didn’t occur to anybody to admit students to university on their basis. There were few winners as well. There are not many geniuses. But the competitions should be held to select talented young people. However, today the competitions are mainly used for admission to university.

I see. Yet, could you tell how the admission will be performed?

On July, 30 the first lucky ones will see their names in the Order of Admission to Financial University. They are the so-called “target students”. There is very few of them – only 43 people. At the same day we will publish the list of students recommended for general admission. In connection with this, I would like to address to the winners and medalists of competitions and their parents:

Dear friends and colleagues,

Please decide on the university where you would like to study until July, 30. Give us a chance not to miss the students with high scores willing to study in our university. Those who will not be able to get a state-funded place can apply for the paid ones. On 01.10.2011, the University introduced a system of discounts for good and excellent studies - from 15 to 100%.

We are waiting for you, dear friends!