Keyword: «culture shock.»

The article examines the complex issue of integrating students from other countries into the multinational and academic space of Russian universities. Modern approaches to interpreting concepts describing the educational and cultural environment are analyzed. A generalization of key difficulties and conditions ensuring effective socialization is provided. Data from the author's own survey conducted among 112 respondents studying at leading universities in Moscow are presented. The main factors hindering successful integration are identified, and ways to optimize accompanying processes are outlined. Special emphasis is placed on the impact of digital technologies on the transformation of established integration mechanisms and the need for a systematic approach to solving the identified challenges.