Russia embarks on new drive to lure more students from Africa

Despite negative publicity resulting from the earlier frontline deaths of African students fighting with its army, the Russian state universities group, Racus, operating under the banner of Study in Russia, has embarked on an aggressive student recruitment campaign across Africa, in which low fees as well as English- and French-taught degree programmes are being used as major selling points.

In online and social media campaigns, recruiters are promising a combination of price and quality, charging average fees of US$2,000 to US$4,000 a year, depending on the courses studied, the university and the language of instruction.

The drive from Russia comes against the backdrop of shifts in global recruitment priorities. For instance, Japan is also sharpening its focus on Africa, but it remains a small player.

A recent analysis by the market intelligence company for international student recruitment, ICEF Monitor, found six of the world’s major international study destinations are leaving out Africa as a part of their target markets in their future internationalisation strategies, with only the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Ireland explicitly including the continent in their plans.

France, a country that extensively draws on Africa for international students, has stated that it will be diversifying its target markets away from Africa and Canada.

At the same time, recent developments in the US, in particular a government freeze of foreign aid, have contributed to predictions that fewer Africans are expected to go to the US to study. Experts have suggested, subsequently, that Russia and China will step into this ‘space’.

What is on offer?

In terms of Russia’s efforts, the 20 state universities are ‘guaranteeing’ 100% admission to universities, over 1,200 medical, engineering, economic and humanities programmes, plus accommodation at student hostels during the whole period of study.

These figurative carrots come at a time when the country has announced a raft of measures to revamp its Soviet-era relations with Africa.

The measures, spelled out by Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, during the launch of the Department for Partnership with Africa in Moscow early in February 2025, include training highly skilled personnel for the continent and support for a steady rise in the number of African students studying in Russia – including those on federal government scholarships.

Campaign posters by the Racus group say that it offers the best Russian state universities and that the universities are ‘included’ in the register of the World Health Organization for their medical degree programmes.

In addition, the universities say they have about 30 years of experience in the “educational market of Africa”, where they have been engaging students since 1991 and have conducted annual Study in Russia exhibitions.

Despite claims of racism in the past, the institutions in Russia claim to “offer a favourable and tolerant environment for communication and intercultural exchange”. This is besides “protection of their interests and provision of any necessary assistance during the entire period of study in Russia”.

Simplified procedures for obtaining Russian citizenship and visa-free entry also add to the offerings.

“Higher education in Russia is the gold standard of world science. Every day we work with dozens of applicants from Africa and their parents, therefore, we always have up-to-date information in the field of higher education and know what issues concern you. We follow innovations and global trends to offer you the best in Russia,” Avbakar Nutsalov, the Racus director general, said in recruitment campaigns.

The universities group had opened offices in Africa and in 10 European cities, he added.

Russia and Ukraine

But the conflict between Russia and Ukraine currently makes students and parents “nervous” about the destination, a situation which would also inform their choice on whether or not to study in the country, said Shayne Premji, co-founder of African study-abroad platform Craydel.

Whenever there’s a ‘new’ study destination, there is usually apprehension in the market with questions arising over the quality of education, the safety of students and the quality of life, he told University World News.

“When we bring affordable study destinations to our learners, questions are more about practical things: Can they stay back and build a career? Can they get a study visa? Will they be safe? And, sadly, will they face racism?”

Premji said other questions included: “Do we need to speak Russian?” and, “Is the quality of life actually better compared to home?” He noted that, overall, “it takes time for a study destination to build trust”.

While the Russians offered “attractive” fees compared to leading world destinations, cost is not the only thing that matters in choosing an international study destination, he pointed out.

“It’s also about career outcomes, quality of education and quality of life. For example, you will find similar fee structures in India, but you don’t see all African learners flocking to India in large numbers. Why? One of the reasons is that African learners are not able to stay back and work after graduation in India,” he explained, anticipating a similar scenario for Russia.

The number of African students studying in Russia increased from 35,000 in 2023-24 to 40,000 in 2024-25 and tripled over the past 13 years, partly buoyed by scholarships.

A Zambian and a Tanzanian student both died in 2023 while fighting on the Russian side in the country’s war with Ukraine.