Internationalization of higher education is a phenomenon of globally growing significance. Over the past decades, the internationalization of higher education in Russia has had considerable achievements, and has contributed to the current transformation of the Russian HE system. Setting the Russian experience in an international context, this article assesses the latest developments. It argues that Russia’s internationalization of higher education is part of a much larger process of cultural collaboration.

Basing on comparative analysis, the authors have identified the most actual internationalization trends and leading universities' most effective internationalization strategies.

The paper has also considered several national projects for university internationalization on comparative basis guided by the concept of systemic sustainability.

Basing on systemic analysis of the students’ decisions in choosing the target education institution abroad, the authors have elaborated a model of students’ decision-making process, encompassing the personal concept of the target university, push factors, and pull factors.

Keywords: HE internationalization management, international student recruitment, internationalization strategies, national projects, international students’ decision-maki.