Independent Quality Assessment of Education at HSE: ‘The Efforts of the University Administration and Student Community Are Paying Off’
In 2024, the HSE campuses in Moscow, St Petersburg, and Perm participated in an independent quality assessment of educational conditions (NOK). This is the university’s second quality assessment since the introduction of the procedure in Russia.
An independent quality assessment of educational conditions (NOK) is a mandatory process for educational institutions in Russia. Its primary objective is to provide all stakeholders with information on whether universities meet established educational standards and to allow students to express their opinions on the quality of services provided.
The assessment was carried out by an independent expert organisation and included an inspection of academic buildings and dormitories, as well as a student survey conducted through a unified electronic system.
Across all criteria, HSE campuses scored significantly higher than the average for other universities in their respective regions: HSE campus in Moscow—98.42 (Moscow universities’ average—93.04); HSE campus in Perm—98.21 (Perm region universities’ average—93.60); HSE campus in St Petersburg—96.61 (St Petersburg universities’ average—90.81). Overall, HSE's results exceeded the national NOK benchmark (93.81 points) among 301 universities assessed in 2024. Compared to the previous assessment in 2021, all HSE campuses demonstrated progress in openness, learning environment comfort, student satisfaction, and accessibility for people with disabilities.
Certificates confirming the NOK results have been published on the university’s programme pages under the Independent Quality Assessment section.
Anna Korovko, Senior Director for Full Degree Programmes:
— The 2024 NOK results reveal trends in key performance indicators. These findings help identify both successes and areas for improvement across our campuses in Moscow, St Petersburg, and Perm. Thanks to student feedback, we see that the efforts of the university administration and student community in creating a positive learning and social environment—both virtually and physically, from classrooms to modern coworking spaces and libraries—are yielding results. Notably, all campuses have significantly improved in terms of information accessibility, achieving nearly 100% openness in 2024. The most remarkable improvement was in St Petersburg, where the score rose from 84.62 to 96.95. Another important aspect is the comfort of educational conditions. In 2021, Moscow (98.25) and St Petersburg (97.42) recorded high scores in this area, while Perm scored 96.84. By 2024, there was a slight decrease in St Petersburg (to 96.50), while Moscow and Perm maintained their high levels (98.59 and 97.50, respectively). Regarding accessibility for students with disabilities, impressive results were already recorded in 2021: Moscow (99.45), Perm (99.80), and St Petersburg (94.00). By 2024, the Perm and St Petersburg campuses had achieved a 100% accessibility rating, demonstrating significant progress in fostering an inclusive university environment.
We are particularly pleased with the consistently high ratings for student satisfaction and the university's welcoming atmosphere. However, there was a slight decline (1.5%) in St Petersburg, which requires further analysis of the factors behind this decrease, as well as a review of the methodology used for calculating these indicators.
The HSE campus in Nizhny Novgorod will undergo its NOK assessment in spring 2025. We wish our colleagues the best of luck!