If you want early admission for a tuition-free program at any of the leading universities in Russia, then Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project is ideal for you. The Olympiad is organized by The Association of Global Universities, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudichestvo).
The competition is aimed at talented foreign students wanting to enroll in master’s programs in Russia for free. The winners of the Open Doors are granted early admission at any Russian university minus entrance examinations and tuition fees, which will be covered by the Russian Federation.
The competition winners will be able to enroll in a programme using a single-window system, choosing any of 500 Russian universities, including 21 leading universities-participants of the 5-100 Project. The language of instruction is English or Russian, depending on the chosen programme and the university. The Olympiad has two tracks – for prospective Master’s and doctoral students (analogous to Ph.D.). The Olympiad is held in two rounds for the Master’s track and in three rounds for the doctoral track (analogous to Ph.D.).
The first round is a competition of portfolios, and the second round is a problem-solving challenge. The third round of the Olympiad involves the selection of a prospective research supervisor for the chosen doctoral program (analogous to Ph.D.) and an interview with the candidate. The competition is open to foreign citizens having a Bachelor’s degree or completing a Bachelor’s degree programme in the year of the Olympiad for the Master’s track and a Master’s or Specialist’s degree for the doctoral track (analogous to Ph.D.) in the year of the Olympiad.
Currently, 14 subjects are offered for the Masters and Doctoral track: Economics and Econometrics, Linguistics and Modern Languages, Politics and International Studies, Engineering and Technology, Biology and Biotechnology, Physical Sciences, Clinical Medicine and Public Health, Chemistry and Material Sciences, Earth Sciences, Education, Computer and Data Sciences, Neuroscience and Psychology to Business and Management. For the first time in the history of this programme, the Doctoral track is being offered in each subject.
Courses are available both in Russian and English. Moreover, candidates will be given free-of-cost Russian classes if needed. There are 400 seats on offer for the prospective candidates who will be provided with a complete waiver of tuition fee and a monthly stipend. Registration is open from September 15, 2021, to December 10, 2021. For further information regarding this scholarship programme, please click here.
