The article analyzes the features of self-educational activities by students of higher education institutions of technical profile. The purpose of the work is to generalize theoretical developments on the problem of managing students’ self-educational activities and finding ways to improve it. Methodology: to achieve the outlined goal, use the following general research methods: abstraction, generalization, comparison and systematization. Methods of mathematical statistics were used to process the survey results. Scientific novelty. The essence of the existing differences between independent work and self-educational activity is revealed, in particular the peculiarities of their components such as purpose, motive, means and result are established. The concept of «self-educational activity» is characterized as a process of independent acquisition of certain knowledge, skills and abilities, the result of which is the development of personal qualities and the formation of professional competence of the future specialist. Possible ways to improve students ‘self-educational activities are outlined: students’ acquisition of theoretical knowledge about self-education; modeling situations that will promote students’ self-educational activities; introduction of active learning methods in the educational process of higher education institutions. The conclusion is made about the need to manage the self-educational activities of students at the stage of obtaining a profession by the teacher, in order to form their readiness to carry out such activities throughout their professional careers. Prospects for further research are to develop methodological support for the management of self-educational activities of students of technical specialties in the process of obtaining the specialty and its testing in the system of professional development of teachers of higher education institutions.