STUDIUM IN RUSSLAND

Registration for Open Doors 2026 

Registration for the Open Doors international intellectual competition for international students and young researchers begins on August 20, 2026.

Winners and runners-up will have the opportunity to study tuition-free at leading Russian universities under the Education Quota for foreign citizens in the Russian Federation and may also receive additional government grant support.

The 2026 Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project of the Global Universities Association is being organized for the tenth consecutive year under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Held online, the Open Doors competition offers four academic tracks: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral (PhD), and Postdoctoral for early-career international researchers. Over the years, the project has gained broad international recognition, attracting more than 618,000 participants from over 200 countries. More than 16,700 participants have become winners and runners-up.

The Open Doors competition welcomes talented young international students and stateless persons, including compatriots residing abroad, who demonstrate strong academic potential and wish to pursue higher education or engage in research at Russian universities.

To take part in Open Doors, applicants must register on the official project website: https://od.globaluni.ru/. Eligibility requirements vary by academic track and include criteria related to age and educational background.

Open Doors offers 14 subject areas, covering approximately 80% of the major academic fields and specializations available at Russian universities. Together, these subject areas represent more than two-thirds of the fields included in the Open Doors International Science Map. Further information is available here: https://od.globaluni.ru/#a-subjects.

Participants may choose either Russian or English as their language of participation.

The Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks are organized in two stages. During the first stage, the portfolios of participants who have completed the automated entrance test and submitted their educational documents, together with a motivation letter, are evaluated. Those selected advance to the second stage, where they complete assignments under remote proctoring designed to ensure independent work.

Preparation materials for the Open Doors second stage are available here: https://od.globaluni.ru/#a-subjects.

The Doctoral (PhD) track comprises three stages. In addition to the first two stages, participants take part in online interviews with prospective research supervisors affiliated with the universities organizing the competition. Participants who successfully complete the interview stage choose a research supervisor who has agreed to supervise their work leading to the doctoral degree (Candidate of Sciences).

The Postdoctoral track is also conducted in three stages. During the first stage, participants compile a portfolio; during the second stage, they submit a video presentation outlining their academic achievements; and during the third stage, they take part in online interviews with supervisors of research projects aligned with their academic profile and research interests.

The Open Doors rules of participation are available here: https://od.globaluni.ru/rules.
 

The competition schedule can be found here: https://od.globaluni.ru/#a-schedule-block.

Each year, the organizers of the Open Doors project note growing levels of participant motivation and preparedness. In 2025, the most popular subject areas among Bachelor’s track participants were Computer and Data Science, Clinical Medicine and Public Health, and Engineering and Technology. In the Master’s track, the most frequently selected subject areas were Business and Management, Computer and Data Science, and Engineering and Technology. In the Doctoral track, the most popular areas were Business and Management, Clinical Medicine and Public Health, and Computer and Data Science.

Additional information on the Open Doors subject areas is provided at: https://od.globaluni.ru/#a-subjects.

More than 2,500 participants were named winners in the Open Doors Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks, and approximately 3,700 were recognized as runners-up. In the Doctoral (PhD) track, more than 260 participants were awarded winner status.

Winners and runners-up in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral (PhD) tracks will have the opportunity to study tuition-free at Russian universities under the Education Quota for foreign citizens in the Russian Federation and enroll at the Russian university of their choice. Those who choose a Russian-taught degree program may be considered for Russian Government grant support, subject to approval by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo Federal Government Agency.

The grant support includes coverage of travel expenses to the place of study and the return travel upon completion of studies in Russia, a monthly allowance subject to maintaining good or excellent academic standing, coverage of voluntary health insurance costs, and reimbursement of accommodation expenses during the period of study.

Winners in the Postdoctoral track will be offered research positions at Russian universities.

The Open Doors online support service is available throughout the year to assist participants and answer their questions.

Answers to frequently asked questions can be found here: https://od.globaluni.ru/#a-faq.

The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project: Facts and Figures

Open Doors is internationally recognized under the brand Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project of the Global Universities Association.

Since its launch in 2017, Open Doors has been implemented within the framework of several national initiatives, including the National Project Education (2018–2020), the National Project Science and Universities (2021–2024), and the National Project Youth and Children (2025–2030).

Over the past nine years, nearly 620,000 participants from more than 200 countries have taken part in the competition, with approximately 90% coming from countries across Asia and Africa. More than 20,000 winners and runners-up have gained the opportunity to pursue tuition-free study at leading Russian universities.

Regular Open Doors surveys indicate that international participants view higher education in Russia alongside educational opportunities in China, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States — countries traditionally regarded as major global destinations for international students.

Open Doors is conducted online on the Open Doors IT platform od.globaluni.ru, in either Russian or English as the language of participation.