Registration for the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project started on September 1
The winners get free education and research opportunities at leading Russian universities.
Registration for the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project for foreign citizens (od.globaluni.ru) opene on September 1. The Open Doors features 14 interdisciplinary Subject areas and 4 tracks: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral and Post-doctoral.
The Open Doors is conducted under the federal project «Russia in the World» within the national project «Youth and Children». It is the first Russian initiative created to attract talented international students to leading Russian universities through a «one-stop» format. Encompassing nearly all countries worldwide, the project serves as a platform to showcase the strengths of Russian higher education on the global market and to compete effectively for the most promising candidates. Winners and runner-ups will be granted the right to free education or employment (depending on the track) at one of Russia’s top universities.
Foreign citizens who already hold a higher education degree or are expected to complete it by 2026 are eligible to participate. The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project is completely free and conducted entirely online, in either Russian or English, at the participant’s discretion. You can take part from anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection and a suitable device.
The Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks are conducted in two stages, while the Doctoral and Post-doctoral tracks have three stages:
Stage One: Uploading a portfolio and motivation letter; completing an online test.
Stage Two: Completing proctored tasks (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral tracks) or presenting a video showcasing research achievements (Postdoctoral track).
Stage Three: Online interviews with prospective research supervisors (Doctoral track) or supervisors of research projects (Post-doctoral track).
The doors of Russian universities are open to you! Join the global community of leaders in science and technology.
Registration is open on the project website (od.globaluni.ru) from September 1 to November 16, 2025.
About the Open Doors
The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project is well known worldwide. Over the last eight years, about 500,000 participants from more than 190 countries have joined Open Doors, with nearly 90% representing Asia and Africa. More than 12,000 winners have been granted tuition-free study at Russia’s top universities.
Regular surveys show that participants consider education and research in Russia on par with the world’s leading systems — in China, Germany, the UK, and the USA — which have traditionally attracted prospective students.
Starting in 2025, the Open Doors covers main levels of higher education — Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral tracks — as well as offers research positions in scientific projects for Postdocs.
Participation takes place entirely online through the Open Doors’ platform (od.globaluni.ru) in Russian or English.
The competition is organized across 14 interdisciplinary Subject areas:
- Business and Management
- Biology and Biotechnology
- Engineering and Technology
- Clinical Medicine and Public Health
- Computer and Data Science
- Earth and Environmental Sciences for Sustainability
- Education and Psychology
- Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence
- Politics and International Studies
- Russian Language and Culture
- Physical Sciences and Technology
- Chemistry and Materials Science
- Urbanism and Civil Engineering
- Economics and Econometrics
The Open Doors’ team continuously improves its mechanisms for identifying and selecting the most talented and motivated candidates for studies at Russian universities. The subject areas reflect participants’ interests in the global academic market, while all methodological materials are prepared according to unified standards, ensuring high-quality educational content.
Winners of Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project gain the unique opportunity to choose one of 24 leading Russian universities for studies.
Among the graduates of Russian universities are Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureates. Teams from organizing universities have become champions of the ICPC World Programming Contest, winners of the international iCTF hacking competition (UC Santa Barbara), and gold medalists at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO).