HSE University (), officially the National Research University Higher School of Economics (), is a public research university founded in 1992 and headquartered in Moscow, Russia. Alongside its main campus in the capital, the university operates three regional campuses, in Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Perm, as well as an online campus. The Lyceum at HSE University, also in Moscow, is affiliated with the institution.
HSE was the first educational institution in Russia to successfully introduce bachelor's and master's degrees, and it also took part in developing and implementing the Unified State Exam as part of the modernization of Russia's education and health care systems.
HSE offers education at every level, from a lyceum for secondary school students to postgraduate and MBA programs. Students can pursue training in a range of fields, including the social sciences, economics, the humanities, law, engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology and biotechnology, as well as in creative disciplines. University representatives also sit on the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Expert Council under the government of Russia.
Administration
HSE University was established on 27 November 1992 by a decree from the Russian government. Since then, the university has been administered by a permanent rector, Yaroslav Kuzminov, who also participated in the founding of the university.
In July 2021, Yaroslav Kuzminov resigned. became the new rector. Kuzminov was elected to the post of Academic Supervisor, which Yevgeny Yasin left for health reasons.
Prior to that, the former Minister of Economics Yevgeny Yasin had held the position of Academic Supervisor and represented the university in other academic organizations,, and University President Alexander Shokhin represented it in its interactions with governmental bodies. Economists , , and Alexander Shamrin have filled the positions of vice-rectors at HSE.
Members of various university councils include Russian politician Sergey Kiriyenko, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin, the founder of "Sberbank" Herman Gref, the president of Renova Group Viktor Vekselberg, Russian billionaire technology entrepreneur Arkady Volozh, chairman of the management board of Otkritie FC Bank Mikhail Mikhailovich Zadornov, a major shareholder of the Russian gas company Novatek Leonid Mikhelson, philanthropist Vadim Moshkovich, as well as the businessman and political activist Mikhail Prokhorov.
History Prerequisites for establishment At the beginning of the 1990s, the state of education in the fields of economics and social science was poorly developed in Russian universities. One of the main causes of this state of affairs was the legacy of the communist system, a system that had led to the exile of many intellectuals, the absence of which would later end up limiting advancement in several academic fields of research. The transition from a centrally based economy to a market economy started in the USSR in the 1980s. Consequently, in 1992, Gaidar's government initiated a number of that drastically increased the need for specialists familiar with the contemporary world economy to conduct analysis and run predictions. In 1992, the government enacted a law authorizing the creation of private universities. At that time, in Russia, 33 state universities specialized in sociology and economy. Reforming the existing conservative universities, including the Moscow State University, seemed like an ineffective solution. Thus, the government approved the idea to establish a new university with research priorities in socio-economic sciences.
Establishment and formation In many ways, HSE University was founded by the efforts of Yaroslav Kuzminov and Yevgeny Yasin. By the beginning of the 1990s, both of them taught economics at the Moscow State University wherein 1989 Kuzminov founded "alternative" (or non-communist) Department of Economics sponsored by the Soros Foundation. In 1991, together with economists Oleg Ananin and Rustem Nureev, Kuzminov and Yasin prepared a grant application for the European Union. The proposed project was drawn up for 100 million euro that aimed to provide "technical assistance in the field of economic education". The proposed project included about 30 projects, including the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy.
On 27 November 1992, Gaidar signed the government decree "On creation of the Higher School of Economics" (it was his last decree as the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation). HSE founders noted that they intentionally avoided the term "university" and instead choose "school" referring to the London School of Economics. The European Union and the Government of France immediately sponsored the project. Therefore, HSE University sent its scholars to study in the Netherlands and invited professors from the Sorbonne University and Erasmus Programme.
The missing library was offset by a rapidly created online resource system with training materials. Since the university deliberately avoided state education programs, it focused on translation of advanced foreign textbooks which formed the basis of education programs. University experts consulted with the government on socio-economic reforms, jurisprudence, and political science. For example, at the beginning of the 2000s, Kuzminov and Yasin participated in the creation of the "" – social and economic development program initiated by German Gref and aimed at forming foundation for government policy.
Education system; rankings In 2022 it was ranked #568 in Best Global Universities by U.S. News & World Report, and #881 by Center for World University Rankings, and in 2020 it was ranked in the #801-900 group in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking.Best Global Universities. HSE USNews
Global ranking 2021/22 2020/21 2019/20 2018/19 2017/18 2016/17 2015/16 2014/15 ShanghaiRanking's ARWU 801—900 901—1000 901—1000 QS World University Rankings 305 298 322 343 382 411—420 501—550 501—550 THE World University Rankings 251—300 251—300 301—350 351—400 401—500 QS Top 50 Under 50 31 38 38 48 51—60 81—90 THE Young University Rankings 41 60 84 96 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities 574 653 714 Regional ranking 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 QS University Rankings: BRICS 37 37 39 62 63 58 QS Emerging Europe & Central Asia 17 23 25 35 31 37 THE Emerging Economies University Rankings 18 32 48 THE European University Ranking 124 201—250 In September 1993, HSE University became the first university that introduced the Bologna education system in Russia. Thus, when Russia joined the Bologna Process in 1998, the Higher School of Economics already had certified graduates from the program – the first Master's graduation happened in 1995, while the Bachelor's took place the next year.
In 1997, HSE University and the London School of Economics (LSE) signed the agreement on establishing The International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF), that was later renamed to "International Institute of Economics and Finance". According to the regulations of the University of London, starting from the second year, students take classes in English. Upon the successful completion of requirements, they receive a double diploma issued by the University of London and the Higher School of Economics.
In 2001, the Ministry of Education initiated the project of the Unified State Exam (USE) which was developed together with the specialists from HSE. The USE is a series of exams that students must pass after graduating from school to apply to a university or professional college. Since 2009, the USE is the only form of graduation examination in schools. HSE was the first university in Russia to accept USE results as a main criteria for students enrolling. Thus, the university was able to set a high threshold and admit the most talented students from all over Russia.
In 2004, the first Academic Foundation was established to support university research and promote academic activities. A year later a group of research laboratories was opened and in 2006 HSE launched the Center for Fundamental Research to coordinate university research including government orders. The first international laboratories affiliated with the university were launched in 2010–2011.
By the beginning of the 2000s, universities in Russia were deprived of full state support and were forced to attract funds and investors on their own. At that time, HSE was already an influential think tank with more than 20% of its income earned by performing custom research. Besides the USE, HSE experts worked on administrative reforms and on "The Digital Russia Program". In August 2008, HSE University became directly subordinated to the Russian government with which it was working closely for the previous five years. Under the instructions of the President, the university initiated the development of the "Strategy 2020" program.
Ranking Field/program 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 Shanghai Ranking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects Sociology 51—75 51—75 51—75 Mathematics 76—100 76—100 101—150 Political Sciences 101—150 151—200 101—150 Economics 151—200 151—200 201—30 Management 301—400 401—500 QS World University Rankings by Faculty Social Sciences & Management 48 59 75 73 155 161 161 Arts & Humanities 113 145 153 220 299 289 289 Engineering & Technology 451—500 401–450 451—500 THE World University Rankings by Subject Business & Economics 126—150 94 101—125 101—125 101—125 83 Social Sciences 176—200 151—175 126—150 126—150 176—200 Arts & Humanities 201—250 176—200 201—250 201—250 176—200 Physical sciences 501—600 401—500 401—500 401—500 401—500 Psychology 176—200 151–175 151–175 151—175 Computer Science 401—500 301—400 301—400 301—400 Engineering & Technology 801—1000 601–800 601–800 601—800 Law 126—150 QS World University Rankings by Subject Sociology 50 51—100 51—100 51—100 101—150 151—200 Politics & International Studies 45 48 51—100 51—100 51—100 101—150 Economics & Econometrics 76 51—100 51—100 101—150 51—100 101—150 151—200 Mathematics 95 101–150 101–150 101–150 151—200 251—300 Philosophy 101—150 101—150 101—150 101—150 151—200 151—200 151—200 Accounting & Finance 101—150 101—150 151—200 101—150 151—200 Business & Management Studies 131 101—150 101—150 151—200 151—200 151—200 History 51—100 51—100 101—150 151—200 151—200 Linguistics 101—150 101—150 101—150 151—200 151—200 Law 101—150 151—200 151—200 201—250 201—250 Modern Languages 101—150 101—150 151—200 201—250 Computer Science & Information Systems 151–200 151–200 201–250 251—300 351—400 Education 64 101—150 101—150 251—300 201—250
Recent years Starting from the 2010s, the Ministry of Education initiated the process of university mergers. Consequently, the Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics was included into the administrative structure of HSE University. Additionally in 2011, the HSE Lyceum was founded for high school students. The university would go on to open several more faculties, including: The Faculty of Communication, Media, and Design, Philology, and in 2014 (with support of the Yandex group) – the Faculty of Computer Science. The first admission to the Faculty of Physics took place in 2017. In 2018, the university opened the faculties of Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology. In 2015, the Faculty of History was reorganized into the School of Historical Sciences; the School was headed by historian Alexander Kamensky (2015–2023) and since 2023 he has served as its academic supervisor.
In recent years (2019–2020) the heads of various faculties in agreement with each other decided to start the company of renaming their faculties. The corresponding decision was made by the HSE Academic Council as part of the HSE development programs for 2030, aimed at further increasing the university's global competitiveness.