Free listeners: how to get an education in Yekaterinburg for free? Following the example of Nikolai Nekrasov and Steve Jobs. HSE invites everyone to university-wide electives

A free student is a student who has the opportunity to freely attend university classes without being officially enrolled and without the right to receive a diploma. In the West, certificates are issued for lectures and courses, but in Russian universities, most likely, you will not receive anything other than knowledge itself.

In our country, the institute of volunteers was popular in pre-revolutionary times, but now it has fallen into decay. Most Russian universities reasonably refer to the fact that the very concept of "free student" in the modern educational legislation of the country simply does not exist. I applied to MGIMO, RUDN University, Russian State Linguistic University, Pleshka, Baumanka, and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology — and they all deny access to outside students. And yet, I managed to find several universities, which, with perseverance and a certain skill, you can infiltrate as a free listener.

Moscow State University

At Moscow State University, as it should be in classical universities, there is a practice of free attendance of classes, therefore, theoretically, there is an opportunity to become a wave listener, but in practice, free access to knowledge is difficult due to administrative difficulties: in order to enter Moscow State University, you must have a pass or student ID university, otherwise the guards won't let you through.

Advice: you need to decide which lectures you want to attend (at which faculty, which department, at what time) and send your request to the mail of the selected faculty. The success of the undertaking depends both on the benevolence of the head of the department and on the loyalty of the corps guards. If the department answers you with consent, ask its employees to write a letter for security with the following content: “The department asks to pass (full name + passport data) on such and such days, at such and such time, to such and such an audience.” Always have your passport with you and try to get the phone numbers of the laboratory assistants of the department so that in case of difficulties they can meet you at the entrance.

High School of Economics

The Higher School of Economics has special disciplines available to everyone — university-wide electives. You need to sign up for them on time, then you will have the opportunity to attend courses on leadership strategy, and on historical conflictology, and on the basics of web design. There is also a special option for applicants — students of preparatory courses at HSE can attend some first-year lectures. And for those who then enter the university, these lectures will be counted in advance.

But attending any classes of a particular faculty is not observed in mass practice.

Advice: if you have a specific request and you clearly know which lectures you would like to attend, you can try to negotiate the conditions for attending classes with the administration of the faculty.

RSUH

At the Russian State University for the Humanities, free listeners are welcome, so anyone can attend lectures for free. True, you will have to solve the problem of the pass yourself - no one will be puzzled by this especially for you.

Advice: the university administration advises to get a pass either through friends or by contacting the admissions office.

VGIK

There is a fairly strict access system here (students have special cards for passing through the turnstile), but for those who really want to get inside, in order to at least briefly be in the company of potential cameramen, directors, screenwriters and actors, there is a way out. Most of the classes are in small groups, and you will not get to them, but you are welcome to film screenings for the entire university.

Advice: in the fall, when the access cards were not yet made for all newcomers, it is quite possible to go inside with a group of other students, showing the guard from afar something resembling a student one.

The Higher School of Economics has opened registration for free university-wide electives, which can be attended not only by HSE students, but by everyone. Courses for these electives were selected by a special university commission. The choice of topics is very wide - from programming in Python to the megacities of the world, from argumentation in English to Islamic fundamentalism in the modern world. Read more about these electives in the questions and answers.

What are "university-wide electives"?

These are author's training courses in various areas of training. University-wide electives have long taken their place in the educational space of the university. Every year, HSE launches a pool of such courses of varying duration (from one month to two semesters) and topics. The humanities were the pioneers: the first 10 electives were launched in 2003 by the staff. This year, the university offers more than 50 courses that represent the four main areas of university education: economics and management, mathematics and engineering, humanities and social sciences.

Who can visit them?

Students or employees of the HSE, as well as those who have nothing to do with the university, but want to broaden their horizons, get acquainted with new areas of modern science, and gain additional knowledge and competencies, can study at university-wide electives. It doesn't matter how old you are, what your basic education is, if you are interested in some kind of problem, you have a research enthusiasm - come.

Is it free for everyone, even for non-HSE students?

Yes, the courses are free for everyone.

Which electives are the most interesting?

It is difficult to assess "interestingness", it all depends on individual preferences. There are courses that have been taught for more than a year and have their own audience, for example, or. There are those that start this year for the first time: "Physics of Condensed Matter: Main Ideas and Modern Challenges", "Byzantine Culture", etc.

There are applied courses, such as, for example, "Applied Economic Analysis in STATA", "Python Programming for Data Collection and Analysis", and there are courses that allow you to take a fresh look at the entire history of mankind that can change your worldview -, "Islamic fundamentalism in the modern world.

A complete list of electives can be found.

How to enroll in university-wide electives?

Registration of students for courses is carried out in electronic form through the LMS system:

1. HSE students enter the LMS system with their login and password and enroll by selecting the Elective Courses tab.

2. External participants can apply electronically at .

Some electives conduct additional self-registration on the pages of their courses:, course.

I'm not sure I can go to every lecture. Will they charge for passes?

The elective is your free choice, you decide whether you want to attend it. But by signing up for a course, you make some commitments, and, above all, to yourself. They are not expelled for missing classes, but nevertheless, the rules for visiting electives are regulated by each teacher individually. The internal logic of some courses is such that if you skip a lot, you will not be able to master the entire course.

Do you have to take exams at the end?

The exam is voluntary, even for HSE students. In case of successful completion of the test, HSE students receive credits for the elective course studied and can enter it in the Supplement of their future diploma. External students of some electives, for example, electives of IGITI, may qualify for a certificate.

When will the class schedule be announced?

University-wide electives are very different, and they start at different times (September, October, November, January and March). You can get acquainted with the schedule on the website of each elective or department responsible for its implementation.

Where will the electives take place?

Lectures will be held at various HSE venues.

When will they pass?

Mostly in the evening from 18.10 to 21.00.

More about electives -.

September 11 Update: m We received about 35,000 applications from 13,000 potential listeners, i.e. On average, everyone chose at least 3 electives for themselves. Our teachers are very pleased that the courses they offer are of such great interest, but since the possibilities of the university and lecturers are not unlimited, we had to stop the recording a week after it began.

Before the revolution, the institute of auditors was extremely popular in Russia. They could be found in almost any educational institution in the country. These were people who, like ordinary students, go to lectures, take notes, gain knowledge. True, they did not take exams and did not defend their theses, they did not receive documents on their education - except for a certificate. For example, the poet Nikolai Nekrasov was poor and could not afford to study at St. Petersburg University. Therefore, he was a free listener. In general, even in the first years of the USSR, all citizens who had reached the age of 16 could also attend universities, however, this form was soon abolished - evening departments and correspondence faculties, educational programs appeared.

The idol of millions, the creator of Apple Corporation, Steve Jobs, was also a free listener, after studying for a year at Reed College in Portland, the future IT genius officially dropped out of school, but continued to attend lectures at his own discretion.

Interestingly, there are a lot of free listeners in Germany. True, lectures there are attended not by poor young men with burning eyes, but mainly by pensioners. They pay a small contribution of about 80-100 euros per semester in order to diversify their leisure time.

In modern Russia, it is also possible, in principle, to become a free student - although, for obvious reasons, universities are in no hurry to advertise this type of activity. And often the privilege of gaining knowledge is reserved only for those who are already students. For example, at St. Petersburg State University, a person who studies at the Faculty of Philology can freely attend lectures at any other faculties. Students assure that no additional payments and approvals are needed. The exception is practice. Learning without spending, for example, a second or third language, will not work.
In the country's main university - Moscow State University - you can also become a free student. As a rule, attendance at certain lectures is agreed with representatives of the dean's office, a paper is handed over to the security post that a free listener is allowed into the educational building on certain days with a passport. At the Russian State University for the Humanities, free listeners are generally welcomed and no obstacles are put in their way - anyone who wants to can attend lectures. True, the troubles with obtaining passes to the university have to be solved by yourself.

In Yekaterinburg, some universities give the right to attend lectures to those who are not students. But, basically, for money - universities calculate how much it costs, for example, to listen to 40 hours, issue an invoice to the applicant, and he already decides whether the game is worth the candle. This is practiced at USUE. And in UrFU, as well as in the capital's universities, they are ready to let everyone take lectures. There, too, future free students negotiate with the heads of departments and deans, issue passes and, hiding in the back rows of the audience, gain knowledge. Basically, at lectures on humanitarian areas - history, art criticism, journalism.

In a word, it is possible to get a university education without passing the exam and without spending money in Russia. True, it is not clear what to do with the documents - not only a diploma, but even certificates of the course taken in the country's universities, alas, they do not issue. So a reasonable question arises - what is more important and necessary now? To be truly educated? Or still get the treasured crusts?

A free student is a student who has the opportunity to freely attend university classes without being officially enrolled and without the right to receive a diploma. In the West, certificates are issued for lectures and courses attended, but in Russian universities, most likely, you will not receive anything other than knowledge itself.
In our country, the institute of volunteers was popular in pre-revolutionary times, but now it has fallen into decay. Most Russian universities reasonably refer to the fact that the very concept of "free student" in the modern educational legislation of the country simply does not exist.
1. Moscow State University
At Moscow State University, as it should be in classical universities, there is a practice of free attendance of classes, therefore, theoretically, there is an opportunity to become an auditor, but in practice, free access to knowledge is difficult due to administrative difficulties: in order to enter Moscow State University, you must have a pass or student ID university, otherwise the guards won't let you through.
Tip: you need to decide which lectures you want to attend (at which faculty, which department, at what time) and send your request to the mail of the selected faculty. The success of the undertaking depends both on the benevolence of the head of the department and on the loyalty of the corps guards. If the department answers you with consent, ask its employees to write a letter for security with the following content: “The department asks you to let (full name + passport details) pass on such and such days, at such and such a time, to such and such an audience.” Always have your passport with you and try to get the phone numbers of laboratory assistants of the department, so that in case of difficulties they can meet you at the entrance.
2. Higher School of Economics
The Higher School of Economics has special disciplines available to everyone — university-wide electives. You need to sign up for them on time, then you will have the opportunity to attend courses on leadership strategy, and on historical conflictology, and on the basics of web design. There is also a special option for applicants - students of preparatory courses at HSE can attend some first-year lectures. And for those who then enter the university, these lectures will be counted in advance. But attending any classes of a particular faculty is not observed in mass practice.
Tip: if you have a specific request, and you clearly know which lectures you would like to attend, you can try to negotiate the conditions for attending classes with the administration of the faculty.
3. RSUH
At the Russian State University for the Humanities, free listeners are welcome, so anyone can attend lectures for free. True, you will have to solve the problem of the pass yourself - no one will be puzzled by this especially for you.
Tip: the university administration advises you to get a pass either through friends or by contacting the admissions office.
4. VGIK
There is a rather strict access system here (students have special cards for passing through the turnstile), but for those who really want to get inside, in order to at least briefly be in the company of potential cameramen, directors, screenwriters and actors, there is a way out. Most classes are held in small groups, and you will not get to them, but you are welcome to film screenings for the entire university.
Tip: in the fall, when the access cards were not yet made for all newcomers, it is quite possible to go inside with a group of other students, showing the security guard something resembling a student ID from afar.