Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project is your chance for an early admission to a tuition-free Master’s program at one of the leading universities in Russia.
International academic competition for international prospective Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD students and postdoctoral researchers Open Doors has been held annually since 2017. It is organized by the Association of Global Universities, a consortium of leading Russian universities, and is supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo.
ITMO University is a co-organizer of the competition and has been an active contributor to the project since its very beginning. ITMO University is one of the leading universities in Russia and occupies high positions in international rankings. Click here to learn more about ITMO University, and here to discover the beautiful St. Petersburg, the home of ITMO.
The competition is open to foreign citizens and stateless persons, including compatriots living abroad, having a secondary education or completing it (for Bachelor’s track), having a Bachelor’s degree or completing a Bachelor’s degree program (for the Master’s track), having a Master’s or Specialist’s degree (for the PhD track), or having a PhD or a candidate/doctor of science degree.
Registration and more info is available via the Open Doors' website, VK page, and Telegram channel.
The competition has four tracks: for Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD students and for postdoctoral researchers. Participation is free of charge and the competition is held online. The working languages are English and Russian. Winners of the relevant track will be able to study for free at ITMO University.
The selection process for the Master's track has two rounds:
September 5 – November 20, 2024 – the first round, a competition of portfolios.
December 5-10, 2024 – the second (final) round, a problem-solving challenge.
You can submit your application (which implies registering on the competition’s website and completing a portfolio in the chosen subject area) on the official website of the competition.
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
Please note that programs taught in English are marked in bold
program track
A subject area of the Open Doors international academic competition is a scientific or academic field you as a prospective Master’s student would like to specialize in.
Can’t decide which subject area suits you best? Apply for participation in two (three, four, ten) subject areas in one go!
The Open Doors international academic competition is held in two rounds.
The first round is a portfolio contest. It will be held from September 5 to November 20, 2024.
You will need to choose a subject area (or several subject areas), register on the competition’s website and upload your achievements (diplomas, certificates, grants and publications) in each chosen subject area.
Study the list of Master’s programs available to the competition winners above, pick those you like the most, and check if you submitted a portfolio for a corresponding subject area.
The results of the first round are decided by an expert jury consisting of representatives of Russia’s leading universities. The participants with the most achievement-heavy portfolios are admitted to the second round.
The second round is a problem-solving contest. It will be held online on December 5-10, 2024.
Your final result is the total of points you’ve received in the first and second rounds.
The participants with the most points after the two rounds will make it to the top-25% of the ranked list of the Open Doors international academic competition winners.
Participants who have scored a significant amount of points but still failed to make it to the top-25% can still be accepted to ITMO University’s Master’s program in a corresponding subject area without any entrance examinations if they successfully pass the interview with the head of the chosen educational program.
More than 800 Master’s places at Russia’s leading universities have been allocated to the Open Doors international academic competition winners. They will be granted free tuition for the duration of their studies. In case the chosen Master’s program is held in Russian, the winners will also receive free Russian language training as part of ITMO University’s Foundation program.
All foreign citizens are provided accommodation in the dorms as required. You can read more about our dorms here. In addition to dormitories, ITMO students have the opportunity to rent the housing through the ITMO.Aparts service.