Beyond the West: For Bangladeshi students, the ‘study abroad’ dream leads to Moscow again
While destinations such as the UK, the US and Australia continue to dominate the aspirations of many Bangladeshi students, Russia is quietly reemerging as an alternative for those seeking better education at a more affordable cost
For nearly two and a half years, Suraiya Akter chased a dream.
She applied for scholarships in the United Kingdom, Hungary, Lithuania, Austria, Malaysia and many other countries. She sat for the IELTS examination, only to find that her score was not competitive enough for most European universities. One interview led to rejection. Another application went unanswered. Yet she refused to give up.
"My goal was always to study abroad," she said. "And wherever I went, I wanted it to be on a scholarship."
That opportunity finally arrived in March this year, when an email informed her that she had been awarded the Russian Government Scholarship. In September, she is expected to leave Bangladesh for Russia, where she will begin studying biotechnology at the Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology.
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Suraiya's journey reflects a broader shift that education consultants and students say has become increasingly visible in recent years. While destinations such as the UK, the US and Australia continue to dominate the aspirations of many Bangladeshi students, Russia is quietly emerging as an alternative for those seeking quality education at a more affordable cost.
The trend coincides with a significant expansion of educational cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia. According to the Russian House in Dhaka, the number of Russian government scholarships allocated to Bangladeshi students has increased from just 65 in 2018 to 200 for the 2026 academic year.
The organisation has also expanded education seminars, application support and Russian language courses for prospective students, describing education as one of the growing pillars of bilateral cooperation. Russia currently offers international students access to more than 400 universities and over 20,000 academic programmes.
The scope of those exchanges has continued to widen in recent years. At its half-yearly press conference on 30 June 2026, Russian House in Dhaka said specialists from St Petersburg University and RUDN University had conducted intensive Russian-language courses at Daffodil International University, North South University, Stamford University Bangladesh, and the State University of Bangladesh in 2025.
The organisation also highlighted Bangladeshi students' participation in initiatives such as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the World Youth Festival, the InterRussia Fellowship and Rosatom's Icebreaker of Knowledge scientific expedition to the Arctic as examples of expanding educational, scientific and youth exchanges between the two countries.
For many students, however, the decision begins with a much simpler calculation.
"I looked at several countries," Suraiya said. "But I wanted somewhere I could realistically afford to study if I received a scholarship."
And she is not alone.
Mehedi Hasan, Regional Director of Dhaka-based education consultancy Study Stair, which specialises in Russian admissions, said interest among Bangladeshi students has grown noticeably over the past two years. While declining to disclose the consultancy's exact figures, Hasan said, "Study Stair is handling around 100 applicants for the current intake, two years ago it was around 40."
Hasan believes the shift is being driven not only by Russia's affordability but also by changing conditions in traditional study destinations. "Many students are looking beyond Bangladesh because they want international exposure," he said. "The US has become more difficult because of stricter visa policies, while the cost of living in many Central European countries has increased significantly. Russia, on the other hand, is attractive because many universities do not require IELTS, tuition fees are comparatively affordable, and students can also find opportunities to support themselves while studying."
He added that university dormitories help reduce living expenses, making Russia financially accessible compared with many traditional study destinations.
Yet the picture is more complex than simply choosing the cheapest option.
Dewan Sazid, from Tangail, moved to Russia in December 2025 to study Multimedia Journalism at RUDN University. The attraction extended far beyond costs.
"Russia is rich in culture and literature," he said. "It offers a unique combination of quality education and affordability that makes it different from many other developed countries."
Like many international students, Sazid admitted he arrived with uncertainty.
"Before coming here, I didn't know what life would really be like," he said. "But I have enjoyed it much more than I expected. People have been friendly and helpful, and adapting to a new culture has become one of the best parts of my experience."
The language barrier, he acknowledged, remains one of the biggest challenges.
"It can be difficult at first," he said. "But learning another language becomes part of the experience."
That adjustment is something Suraiya is already preparing for.
Under the Russian Government Scholarship, she will first complete a one-year preparatory Russian language course before beginning her bachelor's degree.
"I know I have to learn Russian," she said. "If I want to build my future there or even work there, knowing the language will be essential."
Beyond language, many students say Russia offers an academic environment different from what they experienced in Bangladesh.
Sazid believes studying alongside classmates from many different countries has broadened his perspective as a journalism student. "Every day you meet people from different cultures," he said. "It changes the way you think and understand the world."
Md Gawsul Azam, a graduate of RUDN University who recently completed a postgraduate degree in Surgery and former president of the Bangladesh Students' Association at the university, said his decision to study in Russia was shaped by the availability of government scholarships.
Having first moved to Moscow in 2011 to study medicine, he said he had initially considered both China and Russia. "For self-funded students, Russia was actually more expensive than China at the time," he said. "But the Russian government scholarship covered tuition, provided a stipend and made studying here financially possible."
Azam said the lower cost of living further strengthens Russia's appeal. "If students stay in university dormitories, accommodation usually costs around $20–50 a month, and about $200-$300 a month is generally enough to cover food, transport and other everyday expenses in Moscow," he said. "Even those who rent private apartments generally spend around $500–600 a month, which is still significantly lower than that in many Western countries."
After nearly 15 years in Russia, Azam said the country had also proved far safer and more welcoming than many Bangladeshis imagine. "I have never felt unsafe — not even once," he said. "My teachers, classmates and colleagues have always been supportive, and I have found Russian society to be open and welcoming towards international students."
Russia's emphasis on international education is not new.
For decades, Bangladeshi students have travelled to Soviet, and later, Russian universities, particularly for studying medicine, engineering and the sciences. More recently, educational exchanges have become increasingly intertwined with wider Bangladesh-Russia cooperation in areas such as energy, technology and scientific research.
However, choosing Russia is not without challenges.
Hasan warned that some students become victims of fraud after relying on unofficial intermediaries instead of recognised consultancies.
"Some students try to apply through other students or unverified channels," he said. "Unfortunately, some of them are cheated." He also noted that visa procedures have become more selective than in previous years, particularly for universities with weaker international reputations.
Financial transactions present another difficulty. Because international banking restrictions affect Russia, students often have to rely on alternative methods to transfer money, creating additional risks.
Despite these challenges, those who have already made the journey rarely describe it with regret.
If students stay in university dormitories, accommodation usually costs around $20–50 a month, and about $200–300 a month is generally enough to cover food, transport and other everyday expenses in Moscow. Even those who rent private apartments generally spend around $500–600 a month, which is still significantly lower than that in many Western countries.
Suraiya admitted that Russia had not initially been her first choice.
"When I first received the scholarship, I wasn't sure I would go," she said. "I was still thinking about applying to other countries." That changed after speaking to friends already studying there. "They told me the quality of education is very good and that there are many opportunities," she said. "Since I had a scholarship, I realised it was an opportunity I shouldn't miss."
For Sazid, studying in Russia has become about much more than earning a degree. "It is not only about education," he said. "Living in another country teaches you independence, helps you understand different cultures and changes the way you see the world."
A relationship rooted in history
While Russia may appear to be an emerging destination for Bangladeshi students today, educational ties between the two countries stretch back more than five decades.
Bangladesh and the then Soviet Union forged close educational ties soon after Bangladesh's independence. During the early years of bilateral relations, the Soviet government offered merit-based scholarships to Bangladeshi students, making the Soviet Union one of the country's earliest overseas destinations for higher education.
Economist Mustafizur Rahman, himself a Soviet scholarship recipient, told Bonik Barta that between 1972 and 1975, around 200 to 250 Bangladeshi students travelled to the Soviet Union each year. Students pursued higher education not only in Russia but across the Soviet Union's 15 republics, including present-day Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Scholarship numbers declined after the political changes of 1975 and fell further following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, although educational exchanges never disappeared completely.
The legacy of those scholarships is still visible today. Many former Soviet graduates went on to become some of Bangladesh's leading economists, academics and legal scholars, including constitutional expert Shahdeen Malik, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) distinguished fellows Debapriya Bhattacharya and Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Director General Binayak Sen, and economist Abul Barkat, among others.
That long-standing educational bridge remains significant today. A 2022 study published in the Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences estimates that more than 6,000 Bangladeshis have graduated from Soviet and Russian universities over the past five decades.
It also highlights that Russia has continued offering government-funded scholarships to Bangladeshi students since the mid-1990s, while educational cooperation has expanded through specialised training programmes, including for Bangladesh's nuclear energy sector.
The study further notes that growing interest in Russian education is reflected in language learning, with more than 200 students annually attending Russian language courses at the Russian House in Dhaka.
For today's generation of Bangladeshi students, therefore, choosing Russia is not the beginning of a new story. Rather, it represents the revival of an educational partnership that has connected the two countries since the early years of Bangladesh's independence.
The cost case for studying in Russia
For Bangladeshi students considering higher education abroad, Russia's principal attraction is affordability rather than direct academic equivalence with globally elite institutions such as Oxford, Harvard or MIT.
In the latest QS World University Rankings, Lomonosov Moscow State University ranked 115th, RUDN University 359th and HSE University 423rd.
A fairer assessment is to compare Russian universities with institutions occupying broadly similar positions in global rankings. Moscow State University lists annual tuition of RUB586,130 ($7,456) for international bachelor's students at its Faculty of Global Studies, while HSE University charges RUB700,000 ($8,905) a year for its Applied Mathematics bachelor's programme in 2026. These figures remain substantially below the fees published by many similarly ranked universities in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia.
Among institutions in or close to the global top 100, Pennsylvania State University, ranked 92nd, lists international tuition and fees of $41,790 for 2026–27. Queen Mary University of London, ranked 103rd, charges overseas undergraduates between £26,950 and £32,950 a year, depending on the subject. Adelaide University, ranked 79th, lists an annual fee of A$52,500 for its Bachelor of Business, majoring in International Business. Each is considerably more expensive than the Russian programmes cited above.
Central Europe, however, presents a more complex picture. Public universities in parts of the region can be much cheaper than institutions in the UK, the US or Australia. The University of Vienna, ranked 140th, charges non-EU students €726.72 in tuition and a €26.20 students' union fee each semester. TU Wien, ranked 191st, applies the same tuition and union charges to non-EU nationals. The University of Warsaw, ranked 289th, lists several English-taught bachelor's programmes at approximately €4,200–€4,300 a year.
Russia is, therefore, competing primarily on accessibility rather than global prestige.
