Methods of foreign students from Europe and Latin America recruiting on the example of Peoples' Friendship University of Russia

Ivanova Natalia Evgenievna Assistant, Department of foreign languages, Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 6 Miklukho-Maklaya str., Moscow, 117198, Russia ivanova-ntev@rudn.ru

In the last decade, international academic mobility has been actively developing in the world, which is one of the priorities in the development of international education. Every year, Russia accepts international students from CIS countries, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America. Higher education institutions are interested in attracting foreign students to study, as this has a positive impact on the image of the university both in the country and abroad. ^{[1, p. 65]} One of the higher educational institutions in Russia actively recruiting foreign citizens to study is the Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN). RUDN has been accepting foreign citizens for training since 1960. The purpose of the university was to train students from abroad in Russia. So, in the early years of the university's existence, the largest number of students came from Africa and Latin America. Subsequently, the geography of students began to expand, and at the moment, citizens of 162 countries of the world study at RUDN, a significant part of which are students from the European and Latin American regions. ^[2] This article will focus on ways to attract citizens from the above regions to study in Russia using the example of the RUDN in the period from 2016 to 2023. These chronological frames are due to the fact that since 2016, RUDN has seen the most active influx of international students from Latin America and Europe compared to previous years.

The process of recruiting international students is laborious and involves more than one component. RUDN applies all kinds of practices for recruiting foreign citizens, each of which is notable in its own way. Let's look at ways to work with foreign citizens from Europe and Latin America.

Since 2016, RUDN has been opening Russian language and pre-university training centers, resource centers, as well as specialized classes. Next, let's look at what these structures are and how they function.

Russian Russian language and pre-university training centers give potential applicants the opportunity to study the Russian language in their country with the further possibility of entering the RUDN for the main course already with knowledge of the Russian language. This practice is used in Ecuador, where the Russian Language and Pre-university Training Center has been operating since 2016 at the National Polytechnic School in Quito. In 2017, teachers of the RUDN Russian language were sent there. The result was that in the following years, about 10 students from Ecuador came to study at the RUDN. There are similar centers in the Dominican Republic on the basis of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, as well as in Greece on the basis of the Russian Language and Culture Training Center "KLYUCH" in Thessaloniki. Russian Russian Language Center in Quito in the Dominican Republic also organized a group of students who were trained in the Russian language in 2017. ^[3]

Resource centers are educational institutions of foreign countries, which also practice teaching Russian. Russian Russian language centers differ from Russian language centers in that the staff of the RUDN teaching staff teach them not only the Russian language, but also subjects specialized for a particular institution: chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science and others. Russian is often already taught in resource centers as a first or second foreign language. ^{[4, pp. 203-211]} In accordance with this, the teaching of specialized subjects can take place both in English and in Russian. At the moment, RUDN resource centers operate in Turkey - the Moscow International School in Antalya (opened in 2020) and the Moscow International School in Silifka (opened in 2020) – and in Serbia – on the basis of the gymnasium in Alexinac (opened in 2022).

Profile classes are classes organized at partner schools or universities that train specialists in the field relevant to the institution with the possibility of further continuing their studies at the RUDN. Several specialized classes were opened on the basis of RUDN partners in 2016: at the Central University of Ecuador in Quito, at the National University of Antioquia (Colombia), the University of Santo Tomas (Colombia), the National Agrarian University "La Molina" (Peru), the National University of Engineering, Lima (Peru), Andres Bello University, Santiago (Chile). A number of specialized classes were opened in 2017: the Agrarian University of Havana (Cuba), the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), the Federal University of Fluminense (Brazil), the University of Ankara (Turkey), the Higher Polytechnic School of Litoral, Guayaquil (Ecuador).^{[5, p. 129]} Work on the opening of specialized classes was also carried out in 2018, when specialized classes were established at the University of San Carlos (Guatemala), at the University named after Aristotle in Thessaloniki (Greece), at the National Polytechnic School, Quito (Ecuador), at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olszyn (Poland). In 2020, despite the pandemic of coronavirus infection, specialized classes were opened in Turkey - the Moscow International School in Antalya, in Bulgaria - the Secondary School named after him. Yuri Gagarin's "Kamchia". ^{[6, pp. 520-536]} It is worth noting that in 2017, 2018, 2019, RUDN accepted Ecuadorian students from the Higher Polytechnic School (Guayaquil), the National Polytechnic School (Quito), as well as Colombian students from the University of Santo Tomas. Cubans who had previously studied at the Agrarian University of Havana, as well as students from the Dominican Republic came to study in residency specialties from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. There are about 10 students studying for a master's degree at RUDN, from Ankara University of Turkey.

The next tool for recruiting Latin American and European students is the RUDN Open Olympiad (Olympiad), held annually for foreign citizens around the world, which is held both in an online format, which is developed as a result of working in the conditions of COVID-19 coronavirus infection, and on the basis of RUDN resource centers and specialized classes.^{[7, pp. 8-27]} The Olympiad has been held since 2016, more than 1,000 people from all over the world have become participants during this period, including citizens of Latin America and Europe. The open Olympiad of the RUDN is held in the following subjects: mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, ecology, social studies, Russian language. The participant who scores the most points and becomes the winner receives the right to study at the RUDN at the expense of the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation. ^{[8, pp. 110-118]} A participant who became a prize–winner of the Olympiad receives the right to study at the RUDN with a 50% discount. Anyone can take part in the online Olympiad, but Olympiads are also held directly in countries during the secondment of university staff. Over the years, citizens of Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Turkey have come to study at the RUDN as winners and prize-winners of the Open Olympiad for Foreign Citizens. ^{[9, C. 6-23]}

The presence of RUDN in the educational world is expressed not only in Russian language and pre-university training centers, specialized classes, as well as resource centers, but also in participation in international educational exhibitions held annually by international commercial companies. ^{[10, pp. 35-46]} So, since 2016, RUDN has been regularly participating in educational exhibitions in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Turkey due to the high level of interest of applicants from these countries in studying at Russian universities and in learning the Russian language in particular.^[11] RUDN has participated several times in educational exhibitions in Guatemala, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Serbia. The result of participation in such exhibitions is to increase the awareness of the RUDN brand in the world, establish mutually beneficial contacts not only with the organizers of the exhibitions, but also with other participating universities. ^[12] As a rule, the exhibition is held for 2-3 days in each country, during which it is visited by more than 2 thousand interested applicants, with whom RUDN subsequently conducts active interaction. In 2024, RUDN plans to take part in exhibitions in Peru, Colombia, Serbia, and Turkey.

Recruiting companies play a significant role in recruiting foreign citizens for training, the purpose of which is to attract talented young people to study in Russia. ^{[13, c 40-56]} What is remarkable about the work of a recruiting company? The company's employees are usually representatives of both regions who speak Russian and the language of the country of attracting applicants, who provide complete information not only about the university, but also about the country, about the advantages of studying at a particular university, about the methods and process of admission. ^[14] RUDN cooperates with companies that participate in the recruitment of citizens from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The largest company engaged in recruiting foreign students from Latin American countries is ALAR (Asociaci?n latinoamericano rusa), a Latin American-Russian association, which has been cooperating since 2016. The company's office is located in Lima, Peru, but the company works not only with Peruvian applicants, but with the entire Latin American continent. Every year, the company supplies from 5 to 30 students to the RUDN from Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and El Salvador. Students choose such areas of training as medicine, management, economics, construction, architecture, as well as residency specialties.^[15] Almost all students who come to study at the RUDN from ALAR already speak Russian to some extent, since they are previously trained at the company's language center, however, they see the need to continue learning the language upon arrival in Russia directly in the language environment.^{[16, pp. 53-65]} The second company engaged in recruiting Latin American students at RUDN is Russian University. This company, unlike ALAR, works only with Ecuadorian citizens. RUDN has been working with this company since 2020. For the most part, Ecuadorian students come to study in residency, having previously studied at the Institute of the Russian Language. ^{[17, p. 252]}  

Consider the recruiting companies – partners of the RUDN, working with European countries. The largest company is SKY Education, which specializes in recruiting Turkish citizens. We have been working with this company since 2016. Every year SKY Education provides RUDN to 25-40 students from Turkey who choose to study such specialties as medicine, dentistry in Russian and English, as well as areas of study architecture, construction, tourism. ^[18] It is worth noting that in 2021, the number of Turkish students at RUDN increased significantly due to work with a recruitment company.

As another tool for recruiting foreign citizens, the RUDN organizes annual meetings in an online format with applicants and graduates of the RUDN from Latin American countries. ^{[19, pp. 5-37]} It is graduates who can give future generations detailed explanations in their native language about university studies, extracurricular activities, and life in Moscow even more than the representatives of the university themselves. ^{[20, 101-111]} The practice of holding such meetings has been conducted at the RUDN since 2020. At the moment, 4 online meetings have been held with the participation of applicants and graduates of various years of the RUDN. There is a noticeable increase in interest in the university among potential applicants after their communication with graduates who share their experience with future generations.

Thus, based on the above facts, it can be concluded that the process of recruiting foreign citizens represents more than one stage of work with an applicant. More than one month passes from the moment the applicant receives information about the university to the moment of arrival from Russia. As we can see, the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba does a tremendous job of recruiting foreign citizens, which rightfully makes it the most international university in Russia. The practices applied by the RUDN are improved annually, an individual approach to each applicant is tested, taking into account the peculiarities and language of the region.

Summing up all of the above, it is worth noting that each of the above-mentioned tools contributes not only to the recruitment process of foreign citizens to the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. Patrice Lumumba, but also in international scientific and educational cooperation.