The article provides data obtained during a study conducted in May-June 2022 and related to the study of the educational potential of universities in Ekaterinburg to attract students from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries. In the course of the study, it was possible to find out the key barriers of educational interaction between countries, as well as factors that contribute to an increase in the number of students from the SCO countries to universities in Ekaterinburg. Our data made it possible to formulate the main barriers, including objective circumstances of constantly changing geopolitical realities, technical difficulties of educational interaction, insufficient readiness of faculty to train foreign students, financial risks, language barrier, cultural barrier, not the comfort of the infrastructure of universities, specifics of educational programs and curricula. In addition, during the study, factors were identified that will contribute to the development of educational interaction and overcoming barriers. They are personal factors, motivation for education in Russian universities, the historically established cultural tradition of communication between the peoples of the SCO countries, the creation of uniform educational standards, organizations (similar to the SCO university). Thus, we conclude that in order to strengthen educational interaction, it is possible to recommend expanding the educational network, the number of international partnerships with universities and other educated organizations of the SCO countries, improving living and learning conditions for foreign students, and creating new educational products in which applicants from the SCO countries will be interested.