The article is devoted to the analysis of the problems and prospects of Russia’s innvolement in a single European area of higher education, better known as the Bologna process, its purpose being to create an unlimited scientific environment in the field of education and scientific activity. The study aims to consider the features of Russia’s entry into the Bologna system, analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this process, and outline the importance of higher education in the formation of national identity and national mentality. The main research methods are system-analytical, comparative and axiological ones. Also, the study employs other methods relevant to the objectives of the work: the method of sociological observation, description, linguoculturological analysis. The problem of higher education integration is debated a lot in the pedagogical community. Our teachers, methodologists, culturologists also participate in scientific discussions. Despite a number of advantages, Russian education does not quite fit into the context of Western culture: the unification of the educational process leads to the destruction of scholarly traditions, the ideas of “educational tourism” and “double” diplomas cannot be fully implemented, especially in provincial universities, Russian universities fail to take their worthy place in international rankings. As a result, the authors of the article come to the reasonable conclusion that the task of the cultural and educational community is to preserve national identity, basic values, traditions of elite imperial education and their integration into European educational space. The main mission of university education is the formation of a universal educational idea based on the priority of the humanities. This is what scientists and educators should strive for, regardless of nationality and linguistic affiliation.