In the current geopolitical situation, the break in relations with the West, the direction of development of the higher education system in the Russian Federation is fundamentally changing. Developed international cooperation, which was a mandatory indicator and the key to success, focused on Western standards, the Bologna education system is receding into the background. Russian higher education is facing new challenges, looking for options for cooperation with partners from the SCO countries, Asia, the East, and Africa. We have conducted a quantitative and qualitative study of the potential of universities in the city of Yekaterinburg to attract students from the SCO countries. The method of in-depth expert interviews was used to interview 30 specialists from international departments of universities in the city of Yekaterinburg, this article presents data from a qualitative analysis. The research funding from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (Ural Federal University Program of Development within the Priority-2030 Program) is gratefully acknowledged.Within the framework of this article, emphasis is placed on the interaction between Russia and China in the framework of educational cooperation, since it is Chinese students in Russia that are the largest group among students from the SCO countries. In the course of the study, we obtained results that show a deterioration in the overall situation with the recruitment of foreign students, with the difficulties they face as a result of entering universities in Yekaterinburg, in particular (as, most likely, in universities in other cities).