At the end of April, the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University (HSE, or simply HSE) reduced The maximum amount of discounts on training ranges from 100% (in some cases) to 25%, justifying this by the need for “improvement”. Discounts have existed at the university since the 2000s and have allowed applicants from poor families to enroll. There was no information on the social networks of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, and high school students of the university, aiming to enroll, say they learned about the discount cuts by chance. For them, the maximum discount was 70%, and it depended on the final results. Now they do not understand what to do with their plans for admission, wrote the magazine “Veter”, whose journalists spoke with applicants.
A student of the Lyceum Higher School of Economics, represented by “Veter” under the first letter, says that she “worked for a red certificate” in grades 10-11 in order to get a 70% discount for the entire period of study, because her parents would not be able to pay for her studies. She says she learned of the discounts being canceled at the end of April “by chance” – and this information was not available on any of the HSE’s social media networks.
To say this shocked me is an understatement. That evening all my dreams were shattered.
According to I. Now “a large number” of high school students “are just in a state of panic and do not understand what to do.” She believes it is unfair for the HSE to publish this document at the end of April. He adds: “If we had known about this matter at least in September of the 25/26 academic year, we would have been able to change the admission process and reconsider priorities.”
Another female interviewer (in the post, she is listed as A.) wanted to join the HSE in 2023. She says she moved to Moscow, attended high school and went to pre-university college, where she chose the direction of “game graphics and concept art.” Her grades allowed her to take a 70% discount – but a month before exams, she learned that the discounts had been cancelled.
Now I’m very disappointed, as two years of study at HSE can be safely thrown in the waste bin. <…> It is very difficult to act on a limited budget, and with discounts it is almost impossible.
A assumes that since the opportunity to get a discount for high scores on unified state examinations has also been removed, competition for the budget will be “abnormal”. “Most likely, the entire budget will be taken by the Olympics and people who have quotas,” she adds.
Another applicant says she was going to sign up for design. According to her, she applied for a discount for the first year and 70% for the remaining three years. “Right now, the most I can get is 25% for the first year,” she says. The applicant points out that in order to retain and obtain this discount, you must be highly ranked, “which requires a significant amount of time and effort, and it simply does not cover the costs.”