Introduction. The relevance of the study, some results of which are presented in this article, lies in the increased interest of law enforcement officers from near and far abroad countries in obtaining sought-after, competitive higher education in departmental universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study was to study possible predictors associated with circumstances that are unfavorable for the socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students in educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and to develop solutions for successfully overcoming the identified factors or minimizing their negative impact. Methods. The main research methods used were: theoretical analysis of scientific sources, systematization and generalization, pedagogical observation, expert method. Results. The key conditions that predetermine the difficulties in the process of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students of universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia are understood and described. The scientific novelty of the work lies in identifying the specifics of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students based on the analysis of the socio-psychological characteristics of foreign students who find themselves in a new socio-cultural reality. As an example, the process of socio-cultural adaptation of foreign students of the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was studied. The practical significance of the research results is that the identified patterns made it possible to formulate practical recommendations for overcoming obstacles to the socio-cultural adaptation of foreigners studying at universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, which, in turn, will contribute to increasing its effectiveness.