By the example of ideas and projects on attracting foreign citizens to study in Russia, a conflict development of contradictions between the traditions of the Russian-Soviet higher education school and the modernist trends of this process is being analyzed. The difference between the intention and other studies consists in the basis of available materials that shows, on the one hand, the discussion nature of the ideas about the initial parameters of the problem, the degree of readiness of the Russian state and its universities to create and implement an "integral" system of conditions for mass attraction of foreign citizens to Russian universities. On the other hand, the implementation burdening of such a design ambiguity in the market and competitive economy understanding of the list of preferred conditions involved foreign citizens in the system of Russian education, finding the necessary resources and identifying risks and expected results.