Applications for the Russian Government Scholarship for the academic year 2024-2025 will be received from September 15, 2023. The scholarship is awarded to talented international students who want to study for a Master’s or PhD degree at Russian universities. Winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad can choose any field of study from one of the subject areas of the Olympiad and one or several universities in Russia running the Master’s program of their choice.

The main change to this Europe scholarship program from last year is the availability of the doctoral track in all subject areas and the preliminary entry tests. To be allowed to participate in the Olympiad, you’ll have to pass a short test in each of your selected subject areas. If you are unable to pass this test in five attempts, you won’t be able to start filling in your portfolio and participate in the Olympiad. Depending on the chosen direction, the winners of the Olympiad will be able to enroll for free in the master’s or postgraduate programs of their chosen University.

Both master’s and doctoral tracks include 2 rounds that are held online. The first round is a portfolio competition. Those who have been successfully selected after the evaluation of the portfolios are invited to take part in the second round, the Olympiad, a series of proctored online tests. In addition to those two rounds, the doctoral track includes one additional round which consists of online interviews with up to three potential research advisors at the participant’s choice. Participation in the open doors Russian scholarship program and further education at universities are possible in Russian or English Languages.

Programme Details

• Host Institutions: Participating universities in Russia.
• Fields of Study: Biology & Biotechnology, Computer & Data Science, Mathematics & Artificial intelligence, Business & Management, Politics & International Studies, Neuroscience & Psychology, Physical Sciences, Linguistics & Modern Languages, Chemistry & Materials Science, Economics & Econometrics, Engineering & Technology, Clinical Medicine & Public Health, Earth Sciences, Education. Please click here for more details on the available subjects.
• Number of awards: Not specified.
• Duration: Duration of the program.
• Target group: Open to International Students.

Open Doors Scholarship Benefits

Selected candidates for the Russian government scholarship will have the following benefits.

1. Tuition fees will be paid by the Russian Federation. You have to cover travel, accommodation costs, insurance, and personal expenses by yourself.
2. After confirming your proficiency in English or Russian, you can study in that language. If you need to improve your Russian, you will be offered a Russian language preparatory course.
3. By winning the competition, you can start your program without taking an entrance exam.

The new rules allow foreigners studying or admitted to state-accredited bachelor’s, specialist’s, master’s, and doctoral programs to get a temporary residence permit for the whole duration of their studies + 180 days after graduation. Within 3 years after graduation, foreigners will be able to apply for a permanent residence card, right after getting the temporary residence permit or even without getting it. They will also be able to prolong the stay of their children in Russia.

Host Universities

The following are universities and institutions where selected candidate for this Russia scholarship can study.

1. Higher School of Economics (HSE)
2. Tomsk state university
3. ITMO
4. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
5. Novosibirsk State University
6. National Research Nuclear University
7. National University of Science and Technology MISIS
8. Ural Federal University
9. Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”
10. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
11. Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU)
12. Tomsk Polytechnic University
13. Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
14. People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN)
15. University of Tyumen
16. Far Eastern Federal University
17. Kazan University
18. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod (UNN)
19. Samara National Research University
20. Siberian Federal University
21. South Ural State University.

If you’re not eligible for this scholarship program, please check out the following lists that provide thousands of other scholarships: the Top Scholarships Currently Open for International Students list and the Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students list.

Russian Government Scholarship Eligibility

To apply for this government scholarship, applicants must be national of any country, except the Russian Federation (Russians permanently residing abroad are eligible), stateless persons, who have a Bachelor’s degree or is completing a Bachelor’s degree program in the year of the Olympiad for the Master’s track and having a Master’s or Specialist’s degree for the doctoral track in the year of the Olympiad.

Applicants must confirm their proficiency in English or Russian (depending on their chosen programs).

If it is necessary to improve the level of Russian language proficiency, the winners and prizewinners of the Olympiad have the right to study at the preparatory faculty. The preparatory faculty offers programs, which prepare students for their further studies in Russia. The preparatory program is funded from the federal budget and guarantees enrolment in a degree program taught in Russian provided the level of Russian language proficiency is deemed adequate at the end of the preparatory program.

Similar opportunities

1. University of Hawaii Graduate Degree Fellowship;
2. Mohamed Bin Zayed University Scholarship in Artificial Intelligence.
3. KAUST Scholarship for Master and PhD Students.

How to apply for the Russian Government Scholarships?

Interested candidates in the open doors Russian scholarship must use the apply button below and follow the instructions to apply. Candidates should be aware that application to this Russia scholarship program is done in 2 rounds for master’s applicants and 3 rounds for PhD applicants.

• First round (September 15 to December 10, 2023): applicants build their portfolio (fill in the necessary data and upload the requested documents). Jury members will evaluate portfolios and all participants will receive a notification about passing/failing the first round.
• Second round (January 9 to January 18, 2024): a series of online tests related to the applicant’s field of study.
• Third round (PhD applicants only – February 21 to March 13, 2024): doctoral applicants will select and interview with up to three potential research supervisors, in accordance with the Olympiad schedule.

If you’re selected, you must first choose a Master’s or PhD degree program in the subject area you are a winner. Then, choose one or several universities that offer the program in the corresponding track. All supporting documents must be submitted in either one of the official languages of the Olympiad (Russian or English) or their translations must be provided in one of the languages of the Olympiad. All text fields are filled out in one of the languages of the Olympiad.

The open doors scholarship application deadline for the first round is December 10, 2023. Please note that the reception of applications will start on September 15, 2023. For more detail on the Russian Government Scholarship, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.