There are numerous disputes and discussions about the need to introduce online learning technologies into the educational process of the university. However, the welcoming examples of individual educational institutions should not give rise to the illusion of complete and widespread prosperity. In many Russian universities, the situation with the introduction of new teaching aids is, to put it mildly, difficult both in terms of the availability of an organizational strategy and in terms of cultural changes. The article attempts to characterize the situation with online education in universities based on an analysis of the expectations of students who seem ready to move to digital, and the decisions of the Bologna process, requiring the introduction of online components in the educational process of universities. In addition, the authors of the article provide an overview of the initial attempts to introduce online learning into the educational process of universities in a particular region, taking into account the systematic and psychological difficulties that have arisen. As the best option, the authors propose a combination of online education with a research component in order to preserve the university's status as a center of science and education.