Large-scale socio-economic reforms are being carried out in modern Uzbekistan, one of the directions of which is the modernization of the higher education system. The purpose of the article is to assess the degree of real and potential impact of the reform of Uzbek higher education on the export of educational services by Russian universities. Accordingly, the article examines the evolution of the national system of higher education under President I.A. Karimov (1991-2016), analyzes the new priorities of policy in the field of higher education, designated by his successor Sh.M. Mirziyoyev, reveals their relationship with the change of models of state development carried out in Uzbekistan, identifies the tasks and tools of internationalization of higher education. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is the concept of internal and external internationalization of higher education, the model of elements of the higher education system by B. Clark, the concept of the levels of mass education of higher education by M. Trow. The authors show the scale and consistency of the challenges in the field of higher education that have formed in Uzbekistan over the 25 years of independence. It is noted that the internationalization of higher education has become a tool for the Uzbek authorities to achieve several goals at once, including improving the quality of higher education, its mass dissemination and promotion of high-quality higher education in the regional centers of the country. The parameters of the internal and external internationalization of Uzbek higher education are shown, the dynamics of which has acquired an unprecedented character for the post-Soviet space. It is emphasized that the policy of rapprochement with Russia, initiated by Tashkent in 2016, created exceptionally favorable opportunities for Russian universities to work in the Uzbek direction and attract applicants from Uzbekistan. Four scenarios of internationalization of higher education in Uzbekistan have been formulated for the medium term.

Uzbekistan, higher education system, internal and external internationalization, Russian-Uzbek educational cooperation, export of educational services