Following the Results of the First Five-Year Plan: Achievements of HSE School of Foreign Languages Upon Its Anniversary Celebration

© HSE University

On April 1, 2025, the HSE School of Foreign Languages celebrated its first anniversary. Over the year, the school has managed to implement innovative projects, create in-demand products, and set new trends. The article highlights the school’s main achievements.

The HSE School of Foreign Languages is a rapidly developing research and educational centre which carries out undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education programmes. It also contributes to the comprehensive development of English and Russian teaching methods to foreign students at HSE University.

Ekaterina Kolesnikova

‘Following the results of the first five-year plan, the School of Foreign Languages has become a strategically managed research and educational unit of HSE University. It offers leading bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes, as well as a developing postgraduate programme. The school attracts international students and has an advanced concept of language teaching. It delivers hundreds of digitally supported courses in nine foreign languages and organizes major scientific events. The school also provides stable continuing professional education and actively competes for teaching staff, attracting leading researchers and educators. The strong administrative and managerial staff, along with the daily efforts of 400 dedicated employees, —all these elements together define the School of Foreign Languages as the school’s main asset and capital,’ emphasised Ekaterina Kolesnikova, Head of the HSE School of Foreign Languages.

The teaching staff of the HSE School of Foreign Languages includes about 350 experts—highly sought-after domestic and foreign practitioners, researchers, authors of scientific, pedagogical, and methodological works and manuals, including the laureates of the national prize ‘Choice of the Higher Education Institutions of Russia’ and the all-Russian prize ‘Rosstandart,’ multiple winners of the nomination ‘Best Teacher of HSE University’ and holders of federal-level awards.

The educational programmes offered by the HSE School of Foreign Languages are designed to keep up with the times. They develop and modernise dynamically, increasing the proportion of practical training and enriching their content in order to meet the demands and challenges of the modern labour market.

According to the results of 2024, Svetlana Bogolepova and Alexey Bakulev, Associate Professors at the HSE School of Foreign Languages, have been recognised as the best academic supervisors of HSE University in various nominations: ‘Students’ satisfaction with the quality of the educational programme,’ ‘Students’ digital skills,’ ‘Admission of foreign students,’ and ‘Attraction of students.’

Graduates of the School of Foreign Languages acquire in-demand specialities, strong language training in two foreign languages from an extensive list (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Turkish, and Arabic), intercultural communication skills in both the international academic and business environment, digital and research skills, and competitive interdisciplinary knowledge. All of this enables them to look to the future with confidence, to receive a first job offer while still at university, and to build successful careers in a wide range of fields, including science and education, management, marketing and PR, media, analytics, IT, and finance.

The list of companies employing graduates of the School of Foreign Languages include Yandex, MTS, VKontakte, Rosatom, T-Bank, SberUniversity, Skolkovo Moscow School of Management, Kaspersky Lab, X5 Group, Pier 5 Pirs, and HSE University.

Bachelor’s Programme in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication

1,239 people from 21 countries have graduated from the Bachelor’s programme in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication, 444 people have graduated with honours.

Tracks:

 ‘Intercultural Corporate Communication’ (fully in English) —chosen by 60% of graduates;

 ‘Theory and Methodology of Teaching Foreign Languages’ —21%;

 ‘Interpretation and Translation Studies’ —19%.

The content and list of disciplines, second foreign languages and tracks studied is continuously updated in accordance with the current trends of the labour market.

As of the 2025/26 academic year, two new tracks will be introduced within the Bachelor’s programme:

 ‘Digital Communications,’ which combines the knowledge of linguistics, intercultural communication, modern digital technologies, and artificial intelligence to meet professional challenges;

 ‘Russian as a Foreign Language: Teaching and Promoting Russian Language and Culture,’ which will prepare specialists who can not only effectively teach Russian, but also represent Russian culture successfully in an international setting.

Master’s Programme in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication

297 people from 29 countries have graduated from the Master’s programme in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication, 178 people have graduated with honours.

Tracks:

 two entirely English-taught courses— ‘Linguodidactics and Methodology of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures’ (chosen by 62% of graduates) and ‘Intercultural Communication in the Global Information Space’ (15%);

 ‘Translation Practice in the Modern World’ —20%;

 ‘Theory and Practice of Linguistic Research in a Contemporary Interdisciplinary Context’ —3%.

The educational programme provides fundamental linguistic training of master’s students for successful careers in the international academic and business environment as it combines linguistic and applied aspects.

Chinese for Intercultural Business Communication

Starting from the 2025/26 academic year, the HSE School of Foreign Languages is launching a new Master’s programme in Chinese for Intercultural Business Communication, which is fully online.

This programme is a response to the growing interest in the Chinese language and culture in the context of increasing economic, educational, and cultural interaction between Russia and China.

The modern labour market creates a demand for specialists capable of successfully conducting business negotiations in Chinese, taking into account the cultural aspects of the PRC, in order to build long-term and effective relationships with partners from this country.

The programme will help to solve this problem by training highly qualified specialists with in-depth knowledge of the Chinese language, culture, and the specifics of communication with Chinese representatives both in the academic environment and the business context.

Intercultural Environment

Universities in 28 cities in Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, USA, Brazil, Mexico, and China have hosted over 90 bachelor’s and master’s students of the School of Foreign Languages under the academic mobility programme.

Evelina Bordiyan, a third-year student of the HSE School of Foreign Languages, studying in China (Chinese University of Hong Kong) under the academic mobility programme, 2025

© HSE University

In turn, international students create a rich intercultural environment at the HSE School of Foreign Languages. The proportion of foreign students at the bachelor’s level is 15% and includes representatives from 17 countries, while the master’s level includes 60% foreign students from 29 countries.

Academic and Research Activities

Students of the School of Foreign Languages consistently demonstrate high academic results, which allows them to win at inter-university and international applied research conferences, as well as all-Russian competitions organised by foreign diplomatic missions.

In five years, the School of Foreign Languages has held dozens of undergraduate and postgraduate conferences in Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Chinese, with over 820 papers presented.

Since the year 2021, the annual International Applied Research Conference ‘Languages, Education, Development’ (HSE LED Conference) has been a major attraction for experts from all over the world to discuss contemporary challenges and issues in the field of linguistics. Over the course of its existence, the conference has brought together over 5,000 representatives of educational, scientific, and business organisations from Russia, Belarus, China, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, and Ireland, who have given 480 presentations on topical issues in the field.

Fabio Krykhtine, Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, HSE LED Conference, 2023

© HSE University

An active professional dialogue between teachers, researchers, students, and postgraduates—representatives of leading educational institutions of Russia and partner universities abroad—also takes place on the online platform of the HSE School of Foreign Languages ‘Colloquium+’ with an annual attendance of over 700 experts.

Since 2019, graduates of the HSE School of Foreign Languages have been able to continue their academic career in the postgraduate programme ‘Foreign Languages’ in field 5.9.6. ‘Languages of the peoples of foreign countries (Germanic languages).’ The postgraduate programme currently has 10 students. Postgraduate students of the School of Foreign Languages conduct dissertation research within the current linguistic framework, which focuses on the study of discourse, discourse space, cognitive mechanisms of communication strategies in modern literature, the linguistics of emotions, and the field of metaphorology.

Practical Training

Students of the HSE School of Foreign Languages have the opportunity to gain valuable practical skills in 39 partner companies through internships, carrying out professionally oriented projects, solving real cases in their chosen field, and receiving feedback from experts.

Students can become acquainted with employers and their specifics, learn about available vacancies, and take part in workshops from industry leaders at the annual Career Day.

HSE University students at the defence of professionally oriented projects with the participation of partner companies, 2024

© HSE University

Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular activities of the HSE School of Foreign Languages include more than 10 student organisations (Student Council, Language Clubs, English Teaching Club, Theatre, Writing Club, Rhetoric Club, and Volunteer Council), which organise more than 100 different events for 10,000 participants (students, teachers, HSE University alumni, and guests) annually.

The premiere performance of the English play ‘Not So Little Women’ based on the cult novel by Louisa May Alcott, 2024. The project of the HSE SOFL Theatre united over 30 students from year one to four of nine HSE University faculties

© HSE University

Since 2025, the SOFL Alumni Club has been a platform for networking and exchanging professional experience in various areas of applied linguistics.

School of Foreign Languages for HSE University

Within the framework of the Concept for the Development of Foreign Language Communicative Competence of bachelor’s, specialist and master’s students of HSE University, the School of Foreign Languages implements the university-wide optional module ‘Language and Communication.’

More than 60 courses are available to HSE University students, which ensure the mastery of English for general communicative purposes, business communication, academic and scientific publishing and special purposes in socio-cultural, professional, academic, and scientific spheres.

Student success is assessed through the internal English language examination and the independent English language examination, which are taken annually by approximately 8,000 students from all campuses of the university.

Starting in 2022, HSE University has switched to its own model of the independent English language examination, developed by the School of Foreign Languages, which meets both national and international standards.

Vadim Radaev, First Vice Rector of HSE University, and Ekaterina Kolesnikova, Head of the HSE School of For-eign Languages, at the opening ceremony of the Centre for Independent Expertise in English Language of the HSE School of Foreign Languages, 2022.

© HSE University

In the 2024/25 academic year, the School of Foreign Languages conducted an entrance examination in Russian for foreign students of HSE University for the first time. Starting in 2025, an independent examination in Russian as a foreign language is planned.

Programmes of Continuing Professional Education

Every year, over 800 students and corporate clients improve their foreign language skills and acquire knowledge in a new professional field.

The School of Foreign Languages offers more than 35 professional training programmes—professional retraining and advanced training programmes in nine foreign languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic, and Turkish). The programmes are available both offline and online (in synchronous and asynchronous formats).

Special Projects

Lingvotest Certification Testing System

In 2022, SOFL experts with the support of the Federal Service for the Supervision of Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor), the Federal State Budgetary Institution Rosakkredagentstvo, and the Prosveshchenie Group of Companies created the Lingvotest certification testing system—Russia’s first national foreign language certification testing system.

Lingvotest determines the level of foreign language proficiency (from elementary to professional) in academic and business spheres of communication.

During the period of more than 90 sessions, over than 1,200 candidates were tested. One can take Lingvotest in test centres in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and Khabarovsk, as well as online from anywhere in the world.

Nikita Anisimov, HSE University Rector, Lemka Izmailova, Director of the Rosakkredagentstvo, and Mikhail Kozhevnikov, President of the Prosveshchenie Group, at the opening ceremony of the Lingvotest certification testing system, 2022

© TASS

For effective test preparation, a team of experts from the HSE School of Foreign Languages in cooperation with the Prosveshchenie publishing house has published a series of study guides that include materials from past exam sessions and allow one to familiarise themselves with the structure of the exam and real examples of tasks.

AI Lingvo Neural Network

On October 1, 2024, the beta version of AI Lingvo was launched, an innovative project based on artificial intelligence technologies created by the School of Foreign Languages, the AI Research Centre of HSE University, and the Online Campus of HSE University.

Those wishing to have their English level assessed by the neural network are offered a 60-minute block of tasks: write an essay, answer interview questions, and construct a monologue.

The neural network is capable of analysing and evaluating written and oral texts according to more than 45 parameters (lexical, grammatical, phonetic, stylistic aspects of speech, coherence and logic of thought, descriptive, argumentative and narrative skills). Results are delivered within 30 minutes—a final score and a description of the level of English demonstrated.

Currently, over 1,380 people have tested the beta version of AI Lingvo.