Vice-Rector Ruslan Lesovik about new opportunities for international students

Vice-Rector for International Affairs of BSTU named after Shukhov Ruslan Lesovik shared the main figures, achievements and projects. Currently, students from 73 countries study at the university. They are mainly citizens of African countries, but over the past year, great emphasis was placed on attracting students from China.

"The special military operation made its own changes to the geography of students’ admission. The number of students from Latin America and the Middle East has significantly reduced, and the number of students from Africa has increased," says Ruslan Valerievich.

 In total, more than 1,600 foreign students are studying at BSTU, 150 of whom are currently taking a foundation course.

Development of new international relations

In 2024, six agreements were concluded with foreign partners. The agreements are aimed at expanding international cooperation and creating new educational opportunities for foreign students. Cooperation with Mali continues. Agreements were signed with two universities from the city of Karshi (Uzbekistan), where a dual degree program will be introduced.

Also in December, an online meeting with Pakistan took place, after which the rector of the university together with the foreign ambassador signed agreements in Moscow on the implementation of the summer school program, dual diploma and training at the institute of master's degree. The summer school implies a month-long training at the Preparatory Faculty to get acquainted with the Russian language and our culture.

Dual Degree

In 2024, more than 300 students from Linyi (China) continued their studies in Mechanical Engineering at BSTU named after Shukhov. During the year, 25 lecturers were sent to China under this program, who conducted classes at foreign universities in Russian for 1.5-2 months. The dual degree program involves studying in two countries, and upon completion of this program, students will receive diplomas from both universities. The first 100 graduates will receive their diplomas in 2026.

"In 2025, we want to expand the number of departments participating in this project. That is, we are looking for other cities, universities, specialties so that all departments are involved," added the vice-rector for international activities.

Language centers

In 2024, the Russian language center project was implemented at the partner university in Linyi. Our lecturers conduct Russian language classes both online and offline for students participating in the networking program with BSTU named after Shukhov.

A Chinese language and culture center was also opened for BSTU in cooperation with Hulunbuir University, located in Hailar, China. This year, a pilot program for studying Chinese was conducted, in which 15 teachers took part.

The Department of Foreign Languages ​​continues to offer continuing professional education programs, owing to which students can study foreign languages.

Science

 In addition to teaching foreign students, our university actively cooperates with Serbia in scientific activities. More than 300 of our researchers participated in joint projects and visited Serbian universities. "Of course, this work is more focused on economic specialties than technical ones," continued Ruslan Lesovik. The Institute of Serbian Language and Communications of BSTU is engaged in this area. Any student who wants to can also take their Serbian language training program.

Additional programs

 Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Citizens is engaged in the recruitment and training of future first-year students in the humanities, medicine and technical profiles. In 2024, 200 people were trained, 130 of whom entered our university for technical specialties, and the rest chose other universities in the Belgorod region. The Faculty also provides career guidance and introduces applicants to the culture of the Belgorod region and Russia.

There is also a center for international education and cooperation based at BSTU. The center helps foreign students with invitations, registrations, visas and other necessary documents, as well as with resolving any issues that arise.