The Russian government has unveiled a bold education export strategy that aims to triple the number of international students in the country in an effort to increase non-oil exports.

The Russian government has granted an extension to its federal study abroad scholarship fund, supporting students to go abroad for postgraduate degrees.

The government of Russia is increasing its efforts to recruit African students to the country’s universities, by offering scholarships through the state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom.

The Russian government has upped its international student quota for universities by a third to 200,000 for this year and put in place plans to simplify visas for students completing a foundation year, as part of an ongoing drive to boost the global profile of Russian HE.

Liden & Denz Intercultural Institute of Languages has announced the opening of a new campus in the Russian town of Irkutsk in Siberia, making it the company’s fourth study destination.

Spending by international students in Russia reached $1.4bn in 2015, following a decade that saw enrolments almost triple to over 280,000. Research predicts spending could increase almost fourfold by 2030 on the back of a continuing boom in enrolments.

Russia's new education minister, Olga Vasilyeva, has said there may be changes to Russia’s flagship HE internationalisation initiative.

International student numbers at universities participating in the government-funded project have nearly doubled in three years.