Forbes University Ranking: HSE Has Top Reputation among Employers
On May 22, Forbes Education released its updated ranking of the 100 best universities in Russia for 2025. HSE University retained its second-place position, having established itself as the university with the highest employer reputation. Among the top 20 were 12 universities from Moscow, three from St Petersburg, two from Tatarstan, and one each from the Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk, and Tomsk regions.
Forbes Education continues to monitor the dynamic changes in the field of higher education, identifying institutions that demonstrate high standards of quality and demand. In this new, seventh edition of the ranking of Russia’s best universities, institutions were assessed based on 17 criteria grouped into key metrics: networking quality, reputation among employers, international image, and academic environment. The Forbes factor was also taken into account, awarding additional points to universities whose alumni are featured in the Russian Forbes list or were among the winners of the 2024 30 Under 30 ranking.
This year, HSE maintained its second-place ranking, outperforming Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) by 0.7 points and reaffirming its status as the university with the strongest reputation among employers. Other institutions also stood out in specific metrics: Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (best university for admissions quality), MSU (leader in the ‘International Reputation’ category), and Innopolis University (top in academic environment quality).
A total of 564 higher education institutions were included in the long list. The analysis was based on data from the Monitoring of Educational Institutions conducted by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, surveys of the country’s top employers, and information from open sources.
To assess employer reputation, a survey was conducted among major companies featured in the list of Russia’s best employers. The survey identified universities whose graduates are considered the most qualified and are the top choice for recruitment. Companies also named institutions they believe provide the highest quality training in fields such as economics, information technology, engineering, marketing and communications, natural sciences, the humanities, and the creative industries. The survey covered 43 industries across various Russian regions.
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HSE University Tops Forbes Best Russian Universities Ranking Second Year Running
HSE has strengthened its top position and widened its lead over Moscow State University, Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and other universities in the Forbes Best Russian Universities Ranking. The main contributors to this advancement, according to Forbes, were the improvement in the average Russian Unified State Exam (USE) score of accepted students, a better faculty-student ratio, and younger staff. This year, HSE University also leads the employer survey.