Want to enroll at ITMO with no exams or tuition fees (or both) involved?
We offer a world of such opportunities, both for Bachelor’s and Master’s studies. Whether you’re a maths or programming ace, a Russian language connoisseur, or a prospective student with unique accomplishments, you’ll find something for you!
Foreign citizens have the right to enroll in tuition-free positions of ITMO University’s Bachelor’s programs through the Rossotrudnichestvo federal agency as part of a Russian Government scholarship.
Applications must be submitted before March 1 to a Rossotrudnichestvo office at a Russian Embassy/Consulate or an office of the Russian Center of Science and Culture.
Visit Study in Russia website to access the submission system.
ITMO University only participates in the second selection stage. This means that the university only accepts or rejects applications that have passed Rossotrudnichestvo’s selection process.
Many CIS countries distribute their scholarships independently and collect the approved candidates’ applications and other paperwork in preparation for the second stage.
The second stage gets into full swing near the summer season, when the applications of all approved candidates are uploaded into the information system to be assessed by the universities.
In 2017, the first batch of applications was uploaded on June 1.
In its consideration of the applications, the University assesses the following:
As of now, the University does not receive information about the points acquired through Rossotrudnichestvo’s exams.
Once their application has been approved, the candidate receives an educational invitation, which allows them to be enrolled on the date of their arrival to the university (regardless of deadlines of the general admissions campaign and without additional exams).
A visa invitation should also become available in the Rossotrudnichestvo system, which the candidate can use to request a student visa at their nearest Russian Embassy/Consulate.
At the moment of enrollment, the candidate must choose an educational program from the list of programs in their chosen subject area.
In the course of their education, students enrolled on the government scholarship can only transfer between programs within the scope of their subject area.
Do you speak the language of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy? Show us your Russian language skills by participating in an online essay competition for international prospective Bachelor’s students and get five additional points when applying to ITMO University’s Bachelor’s programs!
Participants need to create an account on ITMO Admissions and submit their essay in the PDF format.
Participants whose essays have scored from seven to ten points will be considered winners of the Competition, which will significantly increase their chances of being admitted into ITMO.
Essay topics
Essay requirements
Prospective international students have the chance to pre-qualify for admission to Bachelor's degree programs in Maths and Computer Science by taking part in ITMO University’s International Open Entrance Competitions. Competition winners get free tuition at a wide range of ITMO University and other Russian universities Bachelor’s programs without having to go through any entrance examinations.
Both competitions are conducted in three rounds:
Please register here to participate.
For the latest information on the competitions timelines and procedures, as well as the full list of topics and examples of tasks, please visit the official website of the International Open Entrance Competitions.
Are you a talented and motivated international prospective Bachelor’s student with a good command of Russian and a desire to study at the world-class education and research center that is ITMO University? Listen up: open to all foreign citizens and stateless persons, our Portfolio contest gives you the one-off opportunity to get free tuition at the program of your choice.
Please note that the contest is held in Russian.
Foreign citizens have the right to enroll in tuition-free positions of ITMO University’s Master’s programs through the Rossotrudnichestvo federal agency as part of a Russian Government scholarship.
Applications must be submitted before March 1 to a Rossotrudnichestvo office at a Russian Embassy/Consulate or an office of the Russian Center of Science and Culture.
Visit Study in Russia to access the submission system.
ITMO University only participates in the second selection stage. This means that the university only accepts or rejects applications that have passed Rossotrudnichestvo’s selection process.
Many CIS countries distribute their scholarships independently and collect the approved candidates’ applications and other paperwork in preparation for the second stage.
The second stage gets into full swing near the summer season, when the applications of all approved candidates are uploaded into the information system to be assessed by the universities.
In 2017, the first batch of applications was uploaded on June 1.
In its consideration of the applications, the University assesses the following:
As of now, the University does not receive information about the points acquired through Rossotrudnichestvo’s exams.
Once their application has been approved, the candidate receives an educational invitation, which allows them to be enrolled on the date of their arrival to the university (regardless of deadlines of the general admissions campaign and without additional exams).
A visa invitation should also become available in the Rossotrudnichestvo system, which the candidate can use to request a student visa at their nearest Russian Embassy/Consulate.
At the moment of enrollment, the candidate must choose an educational program from the list of programs in their chosen subject area.
In the course of their education, students enrolled on the government scholarship can only transfer between programs within the scope of their subject area.
International academic competition Open Doors gives international prospective Master’s students a unique opportunity of early enrollment in one of ITMO University’s cutting-edge Master’s programs without entrance examinations and with tuition fees covered by the Russian Federation’s state funding.
All of the competition rounds are held online, and it is open for participation to citizens of any country in the world (except Russia).
Submit your portfolio, solve competition tasks, and be the first to get admitted to ITMO University’s Master’s program of your choice!
Developed by ITMO in collaboration with leading universities from all over the world, our International Master’s programs aim to deliver knowledge and experience in a global environment. By participating in our Portfolio contest for international prospective Master’s students, you can be enrolled into one of these innovative Master’s programs without having to go through additional admissions tests. A golden opportunity if there ever was one!
Learn more!
The Open Doors international academic competition for international prospective Master’s and PhD students is supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The competition is organized by the Association of Global Universities.
ITMO University is a co-organizer of the competition and has been an active contributor to the project since its inception. Click here to learn more about ITMO University, and here to discover beautiful St. Petersburg, the home of ITMO.
In 2020 a new track has been added to the competition for PhD students.
Winners of the PhD track will be able to study for free on postgraduate programs at ITMO University.