How Will the New Academic Year Start for International Students?
Classes will begin on-campus on September 1 (for some graduate programmes on October 1), and wearing masks in university buildings and dormitories will be mandatory for all students and teachers. HSE University will arrange online learning with mandatory support from professors for newly enrolled international students who are currently unable to travel to Russia.
Arriving in Russia: Testing and Quarantine
Before arriving to study in Russia, foreign students must purchase a medical policy, which covers a medical checkup and a PCR test for Covid-19. The list of insurance companies and the information about purchasing policies online can be found here.
It is also necessary to obtain a document confirming a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 in your country (you must have this document at hand ready for presentation at the airport, train station, and any border checkpoint, as well as in HSE dormitories). The document should be in English or Russian.
International students will be required to observe 14 days of self-isolation and get tested for the virus on the 11th day after arriving in Russia.
During the two-week self-isolation period, international students will be required to stay in their dormitory rooms. You will be allowed to go only to the hospital, pharmacy, or a store for essential goods. In case of violations, the management of the dormitory has the right to take disciplinary measures. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to follow the instructions.
During this period, online education will be provided for international students, so be sure to bring your laptop with you.
What do I need to do?
Three days before the date of your arrival to the Russian Federation, which you must indicate in advance in your personal online account, you will receive a referral to check in to your dormitory with the exact address and room number.
Once you arrive in Moscow, you can get to your dormitory by whatever means that are most convenient: taxi or Aeroexpress.
When checking into the dormitory, you must present:
- a document confirming a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 (the test should be taken not earlier than 3 days prior to arrival);
- a vaccination certificate or a copy of a vaccination certificate (form No. 156 / y-93);
- a medical policy purchased before arriving in the Russian Federation (the list of insurance companies is provided above);
Immediately upon arrival, you must register at the dormitory with your passport and migration card: be sure to contact the passport officer of the dormitory where you will be staying.
On the 11th (calendar) day after your arrival (if this day falls on Saturday / Sunday, then on Monday), you must go to the hospital covered by the medical policy that you purchased before arriving to Russia and get tested for Covid-19 a second time with a PCR test as well as get a medical checkup. The result of the checkup and additional PCR test will be sent directly to HSE, after which your programme manager will send your information about how to begin your full-time studies.
To ensure safety, there will be temperature check points at all HSE building entrances, and regular air disinfection will be carried out in classrooms.
Detailed information has been sent to all foreign students preparing for their arrival to the Russian Federation at the emails indicated in their online HSE accounts.
What if I can't travel to Russia because of the travel restrictions?
Due to the pandemic, many international students will not be able to arrive on campus by the beginning of the academic year, September 1 (October 1 for some graduate programmes).
Online classes will be arranged for these students until they are able to travel to Russia. HSE University will ensure the full-scale implementation of programme curricula online thanks to the digital solutions and services available to all students. Moreover, all students have an approved curriculum that can include a remote learning option so that it is possible to complete the coursework online until students are able to arrive at HSE campus after the restrictions have been lifted.
International students will receive an email with detailed information about their online study shortly. Students can also contact their programme study offices or programme managers and clarify all the technical requirements for completing online coursework.
An online welcome session will be held for all incoming first-year students on August 25 and 26, during which international students will be able to ask HSE staff about the new academic year and arriving on campus University in Moscow. Follow our Facebook group page for more announcements.
We look forward to welcoming you to HSE University and wish you a successful start of the new school year!
Contact International Admissions or International Student Support if you have any questions or concerns about the required documents and procedures.
See also:
HSE Biologists Explain Mechanism behind Coronavirus Evolution
A team of researchers, including scientists of the HSE Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, have analysed the evolutionary path of the coronavirus from the Wuhan variant to Omicron. Their findings indicate that many genomic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 are shaped by processes occurring in the intestines and lungs, where the virus acquires the ability to evade the inhibitory effects of microRNA molecules. The study findings have been published in the Journal of Medical Virology.
Russian Researchers Explain Origins of Dangerous Coronavirus Variants
HSE researchers, in collaboration with their colleagues from Skoltech and the Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, have uncovered the mechanisms behind the emergence of new and dangerous coronavirus variants, such as Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and others. They have discovered that the likelihood of a substitution occurring at a specific site of the SARS-CoV-2 genome is dependent on concordant substitutions occurring at other sites. This explains why new and more contagious variants of the virus can emerge unexpectedly and differ significantly from those that were previously circulating. The study’s findings have been published in eLife.
HSE Biologists Prepare Strategy for Universal COVID Test
Russian researchers have developed a strategy to create a cheap and rapid COVID-19 test based on isothermal amplification. According to their publication in Applied Biochemistry and Microbiology, use of this strategy will make it possible to create universal test systems for any of the COVID-19 variants.
People’s Values Affect Their Attitudes to COVID-19 Restrictions
HSE social and political analysts have established which value models and circumstances promote support for restrictive government policies aimed at combatting the coronavirus pandemic. The research is published in Plos One.
Model of Predator-Prey Relationship Helps Predict Spread of COVID-19
Researchers from the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences have proposed a mathematical model that describes the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, taking into account the restrictions applied in different countries. The model will help governments make reasonable and timely decisions on introducing or lifting restrictions. The paper was published in Eurasian Economic Review.
HSE University Classes to Be Held On Site for All Students
Classes in the new academic year will take place on site for students of all HSE University campuses. Existing COVID safety precautions will remain in effect.
Russian Scientists Investigate the Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Variants
HSE University researchers assessed the effectiveness of the T-cell immune response to 11 variants of SARS-CoV-2. Their findings have been published in Nucleic Acids Research.
First-year Students Will Be Able to Get COVID Shots at HSE University
The new regulations ‘On the Organization of Studies for the 2021/2022 Academic Year’ feature in detail what will change for first-year students in the new academic year. HSE University will be organizing a vaccination drive in September for students aged 18 and over who are unvaccinated. Younger students will be eligible for vaccination once they turn 18.
New Safety Measures to Be Introduced at HSE University
Starting September 1, 2021, HSE University-Moscow is introducing new safety policies on campus to prevent the spread of COVID-19. They apply to students over 18 years old who have not had COVID during the last six months, have not been vaccinated (with a Russian or a foreign vaccine), nor have a medical exemption from vaccination. Free vaccination will be available on campus to all arriving students.
HSE University Creates the Viral Genealogy Simulator to Model the Spread of COVID-19
Researchers of HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM), in cooperation with their colleagues from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), and The European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), have developed software to model the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This is the world’s fastest Viral Genealogy Simulator (VGsim). For more details about this scalable simulator, read the reprint on medRxiv. The code is freely available at GitHub.