The epidemiological crisis made it necessary to transform the practice of higher education in the conditions of transition to remote mode. Online training has become an alternative to the face-to-face format of classes, which updates the analysis of key risks and problems of the educational process in the context of the pandemic. The leading research method was a questionnaire survey of students with online learning experience (N = 146 people). The survey was conducted in May 2020. For a deeper interpretation of a number of conclusions, the authors conducted a focus group in September 2020 (N = 12 people), which included students of 2-3 years of study at Russian universities. The authors set a goal to study the degree of adaptation of students to new learning conditions, the specifics of their perception of various aspects of learning in an online environment, problems and risks. The results of the study showed that every fourth student when switching to online mode could not successfully adapt to the new format of training. It is concluded that the key risks of online learning are associated with the lack of direct communication channels, the spread of the practice of imitating students' learning activities in the context of reducing the control function of the teacher. The lack of readiness of students to maintain the necessary level of self-organization led to a decrease in students' requirements for themselves as an active participant in the educational process, while increasing requirements for digital competencies and personal qualities of the teacher. In terms of online learning, students demonstrate the need for additional measures to maintain interest in learning: game context, network interaction in the "student-student" system, charismatic presentation of material.