Higher education in modern Russia

INTRODUCTION Profound socio-economic changes that started in Russia during the last decade of the 20-th century changed the role and significance of every social institution in the country. Social behavior also underwent and is still undergoing significant modifications. People now set social goals quite different from those in the past and choose different means to pursue them. However, now as ever people define their social position in terms of social goals they would like to achieve and seek to optimize their behavior to obtain maximal results for their efforts. This principle is also applicable to the personal behavior with regards to education. The sphere of higher education in Russian Federation underwent profound changes.