Since the first years of its existence, the University has been actively engaged in international activities.
In 1934, the Institute began training personnel for Mongolia. Hundreds of specialists were trained for the Mongolian People's Republic.
After the establishment of the Faculty of Economics at the State University of Mongolia, close ties and exchange of experience in educational and scientific activities were established between the professors and scientists of IFEI and the Mongolian University. For high merits in personnel training for Mongolia the Institute was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Mongolian People's Republic in 1972, and more than 60 teachers were awarded governmental awards of Mongolia.
Among the outstanding graduates are the state and political figures of Mongolia: G. Zandanshatar, Y. Tsedenbal, D. Molomzhants, D. Sodnom, as well as heads of the largest Mongolian banks, enterprises and associations of various branches of economy.
In 1947, by the Decree of the USSR Government, the Institute became the leading university for training economists for the countries of Asia: Mongolia and the DPRK.
From 1967 to 1990 the Institute had a department working with foreign students. During this period, 638 foreign citizens from 11 countries received a graduation diploma. Several people completed their master's and doctoral theses.
In 1955 a preparatory faculty for foreign students to study Russian was opened and is still functioning today.
In the 1990s, the University had more than 300 students from 25 countries, most of whom were citizens of Southeast Asia (China, Mongolia, India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Bangladesh) and the Middle East (Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey). The number of BSU students from North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Cameroon) was also growing.
For more than 20 years the University has been implementing Russian-Chinese and, until 2022, Russian-French double degree programs, as well as joint bachelor's degree programs with leading universities of Europe and Asia in the fields of “Economics”, “Management”, “Commerce”.
Since 2002 year the University offers foreign students a special educational program “Russian as a foreign language” in the direction of Bachelor's degree “Linguistics”.
University's focus on in-depth study of foreign languages at bachelor's degree programs gives the opportunity to master two or three foreign languages (including Oriental languages: Chinese, Korean, Japanese) at a high level, allowing to use all types of verbal skills in the professional sphere.