The short answer
Official Russian figures put Chinese students in Russia at more than 56,000 in the 2024–2025 academic year, up from just over 30,000 in 2020–2021. More than 21,000 Russians study in China. The two governments aim for a combined 100,000 student exchange by 2030.
The numbers
Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov told TASS in August 2025 that more than 56,000 Chinese students studied in Russia in 2024–2025, and that student visa applications at Russian consulates in China had doubled in two years.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova gave the comparison point: just over 30,000 Chinese students in 2020–2021. The Mercator Institute for China Studies ranks China as the third-largest country of origin for foreign students in Russia, after Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Where and what they study
The Russian education ministry has listed the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute, RUDN, Kazan Federal University, Moscow Pedagogical State University, Moscow State Linguistic University, MPEI and the Far Eastern Federal University among the main destinations. Popular fields include linguistics, economics and management.
More than 200 joint educational programmes run between the two countries, 115 of them bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The joint Shenzhen MSU-BIT University has operated since 2017.
What it means on campus
For foreign students from elsewhere, this means Chinese is now one of the languages you will hear most in many Russian dormitories and canteens, especially in Moscow, Kazan and Vladivostok.
Russia and China declared 2026–2027 the Years of Education, so more exchange programmes and agreements are expected.
What we can and cannot claim
- Confirmed: 56,000+ Chinese students in 2024–2025 and 21,000+ Russians in China, from the Russian government.
- Confirmed: the 100,000-by-2030 target is an official goal, not a result.
- We do not claim: figures for specific universities this year or fees. Check them with each university.