The article is devoted to the scientific career attractiveness study for university youth. Generalization of the social problems of Russian postgraduate studying experience allowed us to characterize the conditions of university graduate students’ scientific and educational activities, the barriers to young scientists’ professional development that exist today. The special significance of the authorities’ systematic activity for the scientific potential reproduction in the country, the favorable conditions formation for the graduate students’ scientific and educational activities to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of the country to external challenges is substantiated. The state needs to make additional efforts to create an effective system of scientific and pedagogical staff reproduction in graduate schools, since almost 90% of graduate students study at universities. The authors' conclusions are based on the data of desk research: results generalization and secondary analysis of sociological research materials on the analyzed topic, regulatory documents, comparative analysis of official statistics and information systems containing information on the scientific activities effectiveness in the federal districts of the Russian Federation. The analysis can become a methodological basis for the research model development for new state measures to engage students in scientific and research activities, tools to increase the science work attractiveness.