The relevance of the study is due to the importance of the problem of educating professionals and specialists who can think critically and independently becomes in modern society. The amount of information and knowledge increase that a student should learn. In higher education institutions, there is an objective need to pay more attention to the independent work of students to contribute to their effective and effective professional development. To preserve and improve the effectiveness of learning, educational institutions should strive to find new ways to use the educational process to organize independent work of students. In this regard, the author’s article is aimed at determining the essence and features of independent work of students, ways to implement it and principles for improving performance in higher educational institutions. The leading methods of research of this problem are methods of analysis, synthesis, deduction, generalization and comparison, which helped to determine the main essence of independent work of students and the problems of this component of learning. The article presents various approaches to the study and interpretation of the process of independent work of students; analyzed the work of teachers, researchers who deal with the problem of motivation and improving the effectiveness of this type of activity; focused on the difficulties and features of its organization; proposed various methods and methods to optimize this process; described the aspects of successful implementation of this stage of training; diagnosed the problems that the student faces during the performance of independent work; determined the levels of this activity (reproductive (training), reconstructive and creative search); demonstrated the latest information technology approaches to the organization of independent educational activities of students; diagnosed the effectiveness of independent work in the learning process based on the assimilation of educational material, monitoring of educational and cognitive activity of students; recommendations and requirements for improving the effectiveness of independent work are revealed. The materials of the article are of practical and theoretical value for students, as they contribute to the development of their initiative and professional independence. In addition, the information may be relevant for future teachers, scientists, and teachers who will be able to adjust tasks according to the individual characteristics of students and systematically monitor the educational process