ICEF Summer Bridge School Given a Start

May 20 saw ICEF start its Summer School, a short-term programme designed to immerse candidates in our academic environment, line of thought, and milieu. The summer bridge welcomes candidates recommended for admission to ICEF Master’s Programme “Financial Economics” in 2025, as well as undergraduates and holders of bachelor’s degrees who wish to advance their knowledge by pursuing our master’s programme.

© HSE

First launched in 2021 with the support from the team of ICEF Master’s Programme “Financial Economics”, this intense course of academic preparation soon found demand among undergraduates as highly relevant. This is the fifth time ICEF opened the doors of its Summer Bridge School, enjoying an ever increasing geography of applicants.

In 2025, the programme welcomed 400+ participants. About 40% of them are based in Russia and the remaining 60% in Vietnam, Ghana, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Ethiopia, among other countries.

Intended to guide participants’ understanding of the academic standards of ICEF, the Summer Bridge Programme offers series of classes for the participants to gain a deeper insight into basic economic theories and concepts and become familiar with the tools for solving relevant tasks. Along with that, this programme is an excellent opportunity to be taken inside many of the useful resources available at HSE and ICEF, allowing to expand academic experience and connect with experts.

The programme lasts through July. Its participants are free to attend courses based on their interests. This year, the classes in Macro, Micro, Mathematics for Economists, and Econometrics are taught by ICEF professors Daniil Yesaulov, Andrey Dementyev, Yaroslav Lyulko and Yuri Avtonomov. This course ends with exams, so we highly recommend to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Upon completion of the courses and passing the exams, each participant will be issued a completion certificate – an add-on to the ICEF Master’s Programme applicants’ portfolios giving up to 12 extra points provided they have passed exams with positive grades.

Professor Maxim Nikitin, ICEF Deputy Director, Master’s Programme “Financial Economics” Academic Supervisor, about the tasks and advantages of ICEF Summer Bridge School:

“This is a unique opportunity for students to strengthen their knowledge and prepare for the academic challenges as future master’s students, as well as to experience the environment and community of ICEF. Successful passing of the Summer Bridge exams gives applicants a major advantage in our admission process, while also laying a solid foundation needed for further studies and career growth.”

Natalie Manta (Greece) about her experience as a participant ICEF Summer Bridge School 2024:

“Overall, this has been a highly useful experience for me. All the lectures and materials I have received are going to help me ease into the study of finance.  The teachers have provided some very useful resources. I feel more confident and less lost now—I know where to start. This is the best thing I could ever do to get myself prepared for a finance master’s.

There’s a reason why the programme has ‘bridge’ in its name. It really helps to proceed from one stage to another — academically and professionally — in an easy, less painful way.”

Suren Anosov (Russia), ICEF Summer Bridge School 2024 participant comments:

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join such an amazing programme. After a month of intense study I feel the upgrade in both my knowledge and perception of the learning process. Studying for the exams was quite a challenge due to limited time, but in the end it left me with good memories and a huge amount of new knowledge.”