 Abstract: Federal state educational standards of higher education contain requirements that indicate the priority direction of the formation of the competencies of modern graduates. Competence-based educational paradigm necessitates the search and implementation of ways to promote the formation of a qualified specialist. The implementation of project activities in higher education is revealed as the leading direction of activity, ensuring the achievement of a high level of formation of competencies of students of higher educational institutions. The purpose of the article is to consider the project activities of students of higher education in the conditions of implementation of state standards of the new generation. The authors present the characteristics of the project activity, its typology, set the possibilities, the criteria for evaluating the implementation of project activities. As an example, presents a large-scale project of higher school of organization of independent work of students, which includes relevant conditions, educational landscape, allowing students to participate in various projects, thereby forming respective competences laid down in the standard. The project activity of students in the framework of this project develops at a higher level.