ABOUT RUSSIA  With a population of 142.8 million, the Russian Federation - a successor state of the Soviet Union - is the largest country in the world, spanning two continents, 11 time zones and hundreds of ethnic groups. It has undergone economic liberalization and dramatic political changes in the last 20 years, struggling to dismantle the legacy of centuries of authoritarian rule.

Despite these struggles, education has fared well, with 99.7% of the male and 99.2% of the female population being literate, and 5,119 higher education students per 100,000 in 2006. The number of those living under the official poverty line has dropped from 29% to 17.6% between 2000 and 2004.

The Ford Foundation Pathways to Higher Education initiative supported studies on issues of access to Russia's higher education system. The initiative's researchers conducted and synthesized studies on the access to higher education for socially vulnerable groups. This research revealed that higher education still remains mostly inaccessible for low-income youth and students from rural areas. The research also revealed that policy changes, including the implementation of uniform educational standards and restructuring of secondary schools, could help increase access.