For the past several years, in March or April of each year, the Centre for Development and International Marketing has organized a series of Doors Open Days for foreign citizens, primarily for students at Russian House, the Centre for Russian Language Programmes. Last year, due to restrictions brought about by COVID-19, the Doors Open Days of the University’s institutes and faculties were organised in an online format.

This year, by agreement with the foreign recruitment companies, the Centre’s team decided to hold Doors Open Days as a series of face-to-face meetings between senior administrators of Herzen University’s institutes and faculties and the companies’ representatives who continue to work in St Petersburg. The informal format of the meetings allowed the University’s partners to be better acquainted with both the academic programmes and the education facilities. They also learned about student life and about the entry requirements and career prospects on graduation.

"It is no secret that today the overwhelming majority of foreign students are enrolled in the Institute of Russian as a Foreign Language, the Institute of Music, Theater and Choreography, and the Institute of Art Education. But this year we were able to show our partners those faculties and institutes which they knew less about," said Natalia Antonova, director of the Centre for Development and International Marketing.

During the meetings, led most of the time directly by the faculties’ deans and the institutes’ directors, the University’s partners learnt a lot about the current academic programmes, research projects, practical training and student initiatives.

Ms. Antonova is sure that Herzen University managed to show its partners that it is a multidisciplinary institution that provides serious training not only in pedagogy, but also in the natural sciences, information systems and technologies, linguistics, and many other academic fields.

"Now it is the task of our foreign colleagues to bring this information to the attention of their audience – and our future applicants. I hope that their work will bear fruit, and we will see more international students in our faculties and institutes," she added.

Ms. Antonova also thanked all the University colleagues who participated in the Doors Open Days for their sincere willingness to describe their particular institute or faculty and to open the doors of their classrooms, museums, laboratories and creative spaces.