The paper discusses the role of education in migrants' social inclusion. It illustrates its ambiguity: while students are considered as the most "preferable" category of migrants and participation in higher education institutions and practices is one of the most effective tools of migrants' inclusion, educational migrants face all the exclusionary practices simultaneously, both formal and informal. Based on our research findings, we highlight three significant interconnected factors which determine the level of access to tertiary education for migrants. We conclude by discussing the roots of the ambiguity linking them to the overall context of Russian migration policy embedded in post-Soviet institutions and structures.