Intercivilizational interaction, the main arena of which is the Eurasian continent today, is one of the fundamental problems of social science. Of particular interest are the border zones, where this interaction is directly carried out. The article considers the Russian-Kazakh border area, a space of a centuries-old cultural dialogue of various peoples, the importance of which will increase with the development of the process of economic interaction between Europe and Asia. If Russia, located between the two leading actors of world politics – the European Union and China, connects the huge Eurasian continent into a single whole, then Kazakhstan, which accounts for more than a third of the length of Russia's land borders, is located in the center of this continent. Transport corridors between Asia and Europe run through Russia and Kazakhstan. So far, the Russian-Kazakh border area has not been studied enough, which primarily relates to its social component. While the border is not only a state-legal institution with the material infrastructure necessary to ensure national security and interaction with neighboring countries, but also people whose consciousness and activity ensure the fulfillment of both functions of borders – contact and barrier. The article presents the results of a comparative study of the features of the regional consciousness of the most advanced and promising part of the population of the Russian-Kazakh border region – students.