This article outlines the results of a study of transition of educational organizations training specialists at the higher education level from traditional contact methods of direct interaction with students (classroom lectures, practical (laboratory) classes, etc.) to distance, contactless forms of educational process in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study considers specific problems that higher education institutions faced during the spread of the COVID-19 virus and proposes ways to address emerging ones. In addition, the article reflects the results of the educational process of one of the higher education institutions in the Krasnoyarsk region (the Institute of Land Surveying, Cadaster and Nature Management of the Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University), on the basis of which the impact of the identified problems on the educational process is assessed. Positive aspects of "digitalization" of educational institutions, which allowed ensuring the continuity and accessibility of the educational process, are also indicated. The benefits of the distance mode of knowledge transfer and the prospects for the development of distance learning considering the threats of the COVID-19 virus have been identified and noted. Establishing problems of transition to a distance form of conducting the educational process allowed to determine the factors and conditions that should be taken into account to ensure that both teachers and students are as effective and efficient as possible. © 2020 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.