Opportunity Description
The Association of Global Universities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, offers the Open Doors Russian Scholarship for International Students for 2025. Graduate and undergraduate international applicants, including stateless persons and compatriots living abroad, can apply for this scholarship (Olympiad). Applicants should provide a document confirming the completion of secondary education for a bachelor’s degree, or they should have a bachelor’s degree for the Master’s track. Also, PhD applicants should have a Master’s or Specialist’s degree to apply for the doctoral track in the year of the Olympiad final.
Primary Objectives of the Olympiad:
The competition primary aim is toward aspiring graduate and undergraduate candidates and allows winners and runners-up to study at any Russian university (including top-tier Russian ones) with tuition fees covered by the state, which translates to a 100% tuition discount plus a government scholarship at one of the top-tier Russian universities.
Olympiad Stages:
The Olympiad consists of two stages, which are being held online in the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks, and three stages in the Doctoral track, which is a key to a PhD program. The details for each stage are as follows:
- The first stage consist a portfolio competition,
- The second stage is the problem-solving challenge.
- The third stage of the Olympiad includes selecting a potential research supervisor for the preferred doctoral program and attending an interview with the chosen supervisor or the doctoral track manager.
Important Details
- Study Level: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD
- Eligible Countries: Open for all
- Olympiad Languages: English and Russian
- Study Location: Russia
- Funding Type: Partially Funded
- Funding Body: Russian Federation Government
- Organizers: Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and The Association of Global Universities
Key Dates
- Registration Start: September 5, 2025
- Registration Deadline: November 2025
- Timeline of postdoc: 16th September to 10th December
- Checking portfolios: November 2025
- Announcement of the first stage results: December 2, 2025
- Announcement of the second stage results: January 10, 2026
- Winners and prize-winners: January 17, 2026
- Winners and prize-winners in the doctoral track: February 21, 2026
Benefits of the Open Doors Russian Scholarship
Winners will get the chance to study at any Russian University and will receive the following benefits:
- Free Tuition Fees
- Monthly Stipend, which varies at each university
Note: Students will only be responsible for their travel and lodging expenses, insurance, and personal expenses.
Eligibility Criteria
Application for the 2025 Open Doors Russian Scholarship is open to candidates who meet the following requirements:
- All foreign residents, including stateless persons, and compatriots who are permanently residing abroad, are eligible to participate.
- To be eligible, participants must have documents confirming their secondary education, bachelor’s, or master degree. Those who have not received their documents yet or for other similar reasons, can provide their transcript or a similar document confirming their educational level.
- Study Languages: Participants can choose to participate in Russian or English.
- All foreign residents, including stateless persons, and compatriots who are permanently residing abroad, are eligible to participate.
- To be eligible, participants must have documents confirming their secondary education, bachelor or master degree. Those who have not received their documents yet or for other similar reasons, can provide their transcript or a similar document confirming their educational level.
- Study Languages: Participants can choose to participate in Russian or English.
Participating Universities
The following Russian Universities are eligible to participate in the Open Doors Russian Scholarship:
- Far Eastern Federal University
- Bauman Moscow State Technical University
- First Moscow State Medical University Named after I.M. Sechenov of the Ministry of Health
- National Research University Higher School of Economics
- National Research University ITMO
- Kazan Federal University (Volga region)
- Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University)
- Moscow Polytechnic University
- National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering
- National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky
- National Research Nuclear University MEPHI
- National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University
- National Research Tomsk State University
- Novosibirsk State University
- People’s Friendship University of Russia
- Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University
- Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”
- Samara National Research University
- Siberian Federal University
- Southern Federal University
- National University of Science and Technology MISIS
- Tyumen State University
- Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia, B.N. Yeltsin
Fields of Study
The following subjects are available via the Open Doors Russian Scholarship in 2024:
- Biology & Biotechnology
- Computer & Data Science
- Mathematics & Artificial Intelligence
- Business & Management
- Politics & International Relations
- Physical Sciences & Technology
- Linguistics & Modern Languages
- Chemistry & Materials Science
- Economics & Econometrics
- Engineering & Technology
- Clinical Medicine & Public Health
- Earth Sciences for Sustainability
- Education & Psychology
- Urbanism and Civil Engineering
Required Documents
Please prepare the following documents to apply for the 2024 Open Doors Russian Scholarship:
- Motivational Letter
- Education level proof
- Official Transcripts
How to Apply for the Open Doors Russian Scholarship?
Applicants should first register online in the Olympiad registration system from
September 5 to November 20, 2024. To register, please click the Register Now option below.
