ITMO University offers a wide range of graduate degree tracks in a variety of fields with a focus on IT and Control, Optics and Photonics, Food Processing, and Innovations. Our international research centers generate advanced knowledge and bring innovative ideas to the market through an established system of R&D and startup support.
As a graduate student, you get to collaborate with the top professionals in your field and contribute to cutting-edge research at world-class facilities.
Most ITMO University Master's programs are taught in Russian, though the number of English-taught courses included in the curriculum is constantly growing. If you're interested in improving your Russian language skills, ITMO University offers a special Foundation Program. This is an intensive 9-month Russian course aimed at equipping you with all the skills needed for studying at a Russian university.
If you’re interested in English-language courses, consider our International Master’s Programs and Summer/Winter Schools.
ITMO University offers more than a hundred of innovative Master’s programs in a wide range of contemporary scientific research fields.
You can find the full list of programs here.
Admission to ITMO University’s Master’s programs starts on April 1, 2024 and concludes on:
The enrollment to tuition-free positions is conducted in two stages:
To be enrolled in tuition-free positions, students should confirm their enrollment:
*When applying for fee-based positions, students can submit their applications until August 25, 2023 (if applying on the basis of the State Final Examination, Congress of Young Scientists, I am a Professional Contest, Portfolio Contest, and other contests).
As ITMO University Master’s programs are mostly taught in Russian, you may want to improve on your Russian language skills. ITMO University offers a special Foundation Program, which is an intensive Russian course aimed at equipping international students with all the skills needed for studying at a Russian university.
For English-only courses, please consider our International Master’s Degree Programs and Summer/Winter Schools.
In 2024, applications and supporting documents are submitted to ITMO University’s Admission Office in person, by post or courier service, or online via ITMO University’s Admission Campaign website.
Before submitting your documents, you need to register on the ITMO Admissions website and fill in the required information.
The list of application documents includes:
Please note! All documents that are submitted online should be scanned to obtain a color or black-and-white image with a resolution of 300 dots per inch (300 dpi). Scans should be saved in *.pdf format.
If you receive an offer of enrolment, you will need to provide a scan or copy of a signed Statement of Consent for Enrolment and your original official educational documents. If you will be enrolling in a fee-based position, you can provide a notarized copy of your educational documents.
How to fill in the documents:
Personal profile and application form – you will need to fill in all the data in Russian according to your international passport (if applicable – according to its translation), if any word has an “ё” in it in your passport, make sure to keep the diaeresis (two dots on the letter). A patronymic should be added only if it is indicated in your passport. The “Place of Birth” and “Issued by” fields must also be filled in strict accordance with the passport information (if applicable – according to its translation).
Permanent registration address – address you reside at in your home country (country, city/town/village, street, building number (apartment number if applicable)).
Please note that inputting the data in your ITMO Admissions account is just a preliminary stage of the application process. You can submit the indicated documents in person, by post or courier service, or online by uploading their scans or copies to your ITMO Admissions account in the Печать и подача документов (Print and Submit the Documents) section, and then click on Отправить документы (Send Documents).
The application process is only deemed complete when the number of your personal file appears on the application page in your ITMO Admissions account.
Foreign citizens can enroll in ITMO University Master’s programs on a tuition-free or fee-based basis as per the results of entrance examinations or special competitions.
More information on the entrance examinations format is available here (in Russian).
More information on opportunities for international applicants is available here.
Check the email you’ve submitted in the application form regularly so that you don’t miss your ITMO University Acceptance Letter. It may take up to three weeks after the documents submission deadline to receive this email.
To enter the Russian Federation all international visitors are required to have the official visa stamp in their passports. Citizens of some countries do not require visa to enter the Russian Federation, but in most cases the duration of their stay in Russia is limited. Please contact the Russian consulate in your home country to check the visa requirements.
You can get a Russian student visa at a Russian embassy in your home country. ITMO University provides all successful applicants with the official Invitation Letter needed for applying for student visa. The electronic invitation will be sent to the e-mail you indicated in the application form. You will be required to print it and submit it to the Russian Consulate.
This Invitation Letter entitles you to a 90-days entry visa, which is issued by a Russian embassy or consulate in your home country. The period of your visa will be extended to cover the whole period of your Master’s program after you’ve signed a study contract with ITMO University.
Please note that all international visitors to Russia are required to get a migration registration upon their arrival in Russia. ITMO student support services will guide you through this process.
Students are responsible for paying their tuition fees, airplane tickets, housing, and living expenses, as well as health insurance. Tuition fees are calculated based on the cost of the chosen program and housing option, as well as the availability of grants and scholarships.
Please visit your chosen program’s webpage or contact international@itmo.ru for more information on the available grants and scholarships.
Click here to learn about other opportunities for applicants.
Please note that all international visitors to Russia are required to get a migration card and file for a migration registration upon their arrival in Russia.
Migration card is a document certifying international citizens’ stay in Russia. You can ask for a migration card form when boarding your flight to Russia or get it at a special information desk near the passport control.
Within three working days, including the day of your arrival, you’ll need to visit ITMO University Migration Services Office (9 Lomonosova St., room 2139d) to get your migration registration.
Please bring the following documents with you:
All international prospective students also need to have valid health insurance! You can obtain a health insurance policy at any insurance company in St. Petersburg. When obtaining an insurance policy, pay attention to its type (it should be for international students) and coverage territory (it should be St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast). To get a consultation on obtaining a health insurance policy, contact ITMO University’s International Students Learning and Support Center (int.students@itmo.ru, +7 (981) 158-97-78, Lomonosova St. 9, room 2139b).
Welcome to ITMO University!
You know the drill: all work and no play is never a good option. We at ITMO University want to make your student experience as enjoyable and memorable as it can be. Find out about the fun ITMO students are having by following this link. There are also lots of things happening sportswise. And here’s what other international students say about their time at ITMO.
Worried about the housing? Don’t be! ITMO University offers a wide range of housing options, all conveniently located either within the limits of the university’s student town or in close proximity to St. Petersburg metro stations. Please follow this link to find out more. And here is some information about living in St. Petersburg, including some useful relocation tips and tricks to make your move go as smoothly as possibly.
Moving to another country for studies can seem daunting, but rest assured that ITMO’s international students are assisted each step of the way, from arriving to St. Petersburg to navigating studies and fun, through a variety of student support programs operating at the university – these include Study Abroad at Home and Buddy System.
Upon your arrival in Russia, you’ll get a Russian buddy who will help you feel right at home: from housing at one of the dorms to buying metro passes to finding new friends, you’ll get settled in and on your way to your great adventure. And in the meantime, check out ITMO University’s English news portal to get a feel of lots of exciting things happening in ITMO!
Registering an account on ITMO Admissions is just the first step. Before you take your entrance examinations, you must submit your application documents in electronic form in the “Print and Submit the Documents” section. This must be done in advance so that your personal file is registered before your first entrance examination or application deadline.
Yes. This can be done in your account on the ITMO Admissions website: here, applicants can submit scanned copies of their ID, official education documents, certificates confirming their accomplishments and other documents as indicated in the Application Guide.
The application process is only deemed completed when the message “Personal file is closed for alterations” appears on the application page in your ITMO Admissions account.
Certified translations can be obtained in Russia or in any foreign country.
If the information in your official education document is fully duplicated in Russian, you do not need to obtain a notarized translation or a copy. A regular scanned copy will be sufficient.
We do not carry out exams or tests abroad. However, there are various international entrance competitions held fully online. You can read more about them here.
After the Admission Office received an applicant’s documents as indicated in the Application Guide, their personal file is activated. Among other things, this means that they are admitted for participation in the online entrance examinations. Several days before the exam, a mailout will be sent containing the instructions regarding the online entrance examinations’ procedure and other important information.
Citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as compatriots residing in the CIS countries, can apply to tuition-free positions along with Russian citizens. Citizens of other countries can only apply for fee-based or government quota positions.
When submitting your paperwork, fill in a request form and provide documents proving that your ancestral relatives were citizens of the USSR (Your birth certificate with a translation, passport with a translation and a birth certificate of one of the USSR-born relatives). If the relative has had a change of surname, you must also provide a document to prove that (a translated copy of a marriage certificate).
The higher is your entrance examinations score and the more achievements you have, the better are your chances to be admitted. In 2020, the minimum score required for prospective Master’s students applying on the basis of ITMO University’s entrance examinations is 50 points.
ITMO University offers a wide range of opportunities for applicants if you want to boost your score or enroll at ITMO with no exams or tuition fees.
In your application, you can apply for 3 tuition-free positions and 1 fee-based position.
The 2020 admission campaign is held entirely online, entrance examinations included, so temporary accommodation in ITMO University’s dormitories is not provided.
All foreign citizens are provided accommodation in the dorms as required. You can read more about our dorms here.
+7 (812) 480-09-12; +7 (812) 480-09-19