10 Years of Championing International Education at HSE University
Oxana Budjko is often the first person many international students encounter as they embark on their journey at HSE University. As the Head of the International Office at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, she plays a pivotal role in recruiting international students and facilitating academic mobility for current students, studying economics and finance. With over 30 years of experience in international higher education and a rich background in education in economics, Budjko’s journey is as inspiring as it is impactful
Passion for Global Outreach
Budjko’s day never ends, filled with interactions with students and email communications aimed at expanding HSE’s global reach. Collaborating closely with the International Admissions office, she helps recruit hundreds of international students for degree programs while also organizing short-term programs both online and abroad. “International students bring a wealth of diversity and perspective to our university,” she explains.
Currently, she is working on an exciting initiative with Bertha, one of the Faculty of Economic Science’s alumni, to engage high schools in Ghana. Together, they aim to provide students with opportunities to participate in the INTO HSE Mathematics Olympiad. “It’s rewarding to see how our alumni contribute to outreach efforts,” Budjko shares, reflecting on the importance of community in academic recruitment.
A Rich Tapestry of Experience
Before joining HSE in 2014, Budjko had already built a remarkable career that combined her engineering background with extensive experience in international education. Graduating with a degree in laser optics, she faced challenges when the Soviet Union collapsed, leading her to explore various jobs to gain independence and experience. Even before graduation, she engaged in diverse experiences as a private tutor, an assistant to a blind teacher, a typist, an archaeologist, a receptionist at a doctor's office, a translator, a hostess for jazz events. Her diverse roles equipped her with invaluable skills. Her fluency in English and her ability to navigate different cultural contexts opened doors at a Japanese training joint venture and later at the Israeli embassy in Moscow
“With 30 years of experience in international higher education and research in economics, I bring a wealth of knowledge to my position. Before joining HSE in 2014, I developed a strong understanding of academic dynamics and built close connections with international faculty and alumni in economics, data science and finance. It was then that Dean Professor Oleg Zamulin invited me to expand the Faculty of Economics' outreach, focusing on recruiting international students and enhancing academic mobility opportunities for our current students. Notably, just before my formal hiring in 2015, the Faculty of Economics transformed into a mega faculty with five departments
and associated International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF). In 2015 the Faculty of Economics was renamed into the Faculty of Economic Sciences.
When did HSE first start to accept international students?
HSE University welcomed its first international students as early as the 1990s, though their numbers were quite limited. Many were sent by their governments to study in Russia, while others were already residing in Moscow with their families. This started to change in 2009, when Dr. Tatyana Chetvernina launched active student recruitment in the neighboring countries. She and the faculty representatives conducted olympiads and interviews in schools abroad. Still, in 2011 the university offered only 80 full scholarships for international students. This figure skyrocketed to 800 by 2016, and it continues to grow - currently there are more than 5,000 international students at HSE.
One way to get a 100% scholarship for a bachelor study, the International Youth Olympiad, is now conducted in person internationally in the countries, so that any high school student with the internet can join the contest. The Faculty of Economic Sciences accepts winners in math, and there are more olympiads to check. For those who would like to study in Russian, we offer a test in math (in English) and a free preparatory year to study Russian language.
For Masters and PhD applicants starting from 2017, Russian universities jointly host Open Doors Olympiad online competitions. The winners are offered 100% scholarship in the relevant subjects.
Before COVID 19 I used to host international interns and had more than 25 of them, US, Mexican, Canadian, German and Chinese fellows, who came to Moscow to study Russian or do a Summer Universiен, or a Semester in Moscow. They were helping me with many issues, in turn I would give them a letter of reference for a grad school or their job. Hence I know that some of them work for the local government, academia, or private businesses. We always had a fantastic time in Moscow then - concerts, exhibitions, music, etc.
Today, at the faculty of Economic Sciences alone, we teach international students from 59 countries. In terms of the most represented countries I would name Kazakhstan and Ghana for the bachelor and master studies, respectively.
What was the first program in English?
I believe the program taught in English was first delivered by the International College of Economics and Finance (ICEF), established in 1997. It was a 4 year undergraduate program that followed a special curriculum that allowed students to successfully pass the LSE exams and get LSE bachelor degree as well as HSE University diploma.
First program taught in English at the Faculty of Economic Sciences opened in 2017 and it was a 2 year master program Strategic Corporate Finance.
Now the Faculty of Economic Sciences offers a few master programs delivered entirely in English:
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Economics and Economic Policy program that offers 3 tracks in English - Research, Behavioral and Applied Economics, and we also have a
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Master of Business Analytics online program.
Overall in 2024, HSE University offers 44 master programs taught in English, and 9 bachelor programs in English, plus a comprehensive preparatory year to study Russian language.
Your most memorable moments at HSE?
This was the 25 years celebration of joint academic programs with Erasmus University in 2019 that I organized. We just moved into Pokrovka Campus and it was the first official meeting in the HSE Academic council meeting room (see about Durasov estate). We brought together the Dutch professor Wouter Siddre, who was the Dean of the Erasmus University Rotterdam 25 years ago, Professor Vladimir Karamychev, our alumnus and PhD from Erasmus University, who currently works at Erasmus University and our Dean Sergey Pekarski, also alumnus of both HSE University and Erasmus PhD program, Vice-President of the HSE University Lev Jacobson, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Dominique Kuhling, and Vice Rector Ivan Prostakov, as well as numerous alumni of the joint programs. See the report. We shot a movie before the meeting and this was also fun experience for everyone participated
ERASMUS and HSE University, 25 years of joint academic programs
Top 3 achievements in the last 3 decades according to you?
a. International job market recruitment. The Faculty of Economic Sciences recruits new professors at the international job market and follows the same procedures as every economics department in the world which aims to keep up in the field
b. International Economics Olympiad. HSE was one of the founding fathers of the International Economics Olympiad. The influence of this annual event on the career prospects of participants and future of the profession is very hard to overestimate.
с. Placement of graduates in top PhD and masters programs, employment of graduates in academia. Every year some students apply to the best PhD programs and the list of names and universities proves their achievements. This record proves the high quality of both the HSE University programs in economics, statistics and finance, and its ability to attract the most talented students. Currently we have graduates teaching at MIT, Harvard, Chicago, Boston College, Oxford, Tilburg, Erasmus, Humboldt, and many more.
How did the Faculty of Economic Sciences celebrate the 30th anniversary of HSE?
We had the 30 Birthday celebration recently, see the report. I definitely invite all students to attend our next year birthday ECONOMFEST celebration in spring 2025. It is an annual event fully planned and prepared by our students club SSFE. I also invite students to attend our research events - if you study not in Moscow, most of them are shared online.
Things that you would never want to change at HSE
People are what I would never want to change at HSE. The best of HSE University are the people and I want them to always be like this. The students, alumni and faculty (significant part of faculty in economics and finance are graduates of HSE).
Since the Faculty of Economic Sciences is the oldest, we have the highest number of alumni as well. We closely follow their career successes.
The students are all hard workers, very intelligent young (our oldest student this year is 52 y.o.) who are absolute joy to deal with. I think on average we have the best students in social sciences in Russia and Europe (I would say in the world but let's keep it regional)
The faculty. These are Russian and international researchers, who devote their time to economics, teaching and research. It is such an honor to work with them.
And things would like to see changed
I wish more international students would learn about the faculty of economic sciences and the high qualification of current faculty and students. (and also that they stop writing programme instead of program at HSE website)
What are HSE's plans for the future?
What I also like about HSE university is its openness. Anyone can check HSE University development plan 2030 at the website.
As for the International Office at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, we aim for increase the international students' academic preparedness to study and graduate at HSE University, enhance the soft skills and multicultural exposure of the HSE students (both Russian and international), further graduate school placement and alumni involvement, networking with the current students. If you want to join us feel free to email me about the opportunities we offer!