What, in your view, is the fundamental difference between state and nonstate higher education, except for tuition fees, of course?
Let me begin by pointing out that it is not entirely correct to divide institutions of higher learning into state and nonstate ones. Many identify private with nonstate educational structures. The nonstate ones are successors to the Soviet-era institutes, on whose facilities they are based. As a rule, they do not differ much from their Soviet parents, except for their signboards. Whereas a private university or institute is established without state participation, and is independent from the state both financially and ideologically. We are free in our choice of lecturers and instructional methods. Opening before us is a vast field for experimentation.
We at the university see education as a lifelong process. Our job is to help the students to acquire knowledge and instill in them a desire for learning more about the world. Only then will our graduates rationally use their occupational skills, to which we pay a lot of attention of course; only then will these skills be useful to them and other people.
In what way is the Natalya Nesterova University different from others?
The difference is fundamental. We offer our students a maximum choice of various possibilities. We are open to positive changes, whoever they may be initiated by – a student, or a postgraduate, or a professor. We try to create and preserve the unique atmosphere of freedom and that legendary spirit of brotherhood universities are supposed to possess. We don’t have entrance examinations. Instead, we have an interview with the entrant during which we determine the level of his or her training and give the person the necessary counseling. Our students can be of any age and from any country. We have also taken care of young people from families in low income brackets, for them we have a special department, where the tuition fees are just $500 a year, or half the amount of university fees.
We also see to it that student select a department that is best for them. It takes just one day for a student who has made a mistake to be transferred to another department. Those who wish can attend two departments. A student who wants to attend some particular course of lectures can do so on an occasional basis. To an extent, our choice of lecturers is influenced by the students. Sometimes, proceeding from their wishes, we invite a professor to deliver an additional course of lectures.