Russia in the Context of Global Trends of Higher Education

The article provides the main global trends for the development of higher education. They determine the current status and shape the route and prospects of development of a higher education system in the XXI century: globalization, internationalization, the transition to mass higher education, the commercialization, the transition to a "flexible" specialties and competence-based approach, the emergence of new forms of education and the change of education technologies and several others. Identified trends characterize the involvement of Russia in global transition to a post-industrial education. It was found that the Russian system of higher education is more in line with the measure of the international level. However a lag in some indicators was registered.