Until 1 November 2026, young foreign nationals and stateless persons, including compatriots living abroad, who wish to study or conduct research at Russian universities can register for the International Open Doors Olympiad.
This online academic competition offers three academic tracks for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral studies, as well as a research track for postdoctoral researchers.
Winners and runners-up will be eligible for tuition-free education under the Russian Government quota and will be able to choose a Russian university to study at. Those who choose a degree programme taught in Russian will also be eligible to apply for grant support from the Russian Government.
Participants can complete the competition in either Russian or English.
The International Open Doors Olympiad brings together 24 participating Russian universities. NUST MISIS coordinates two bachelor’s-level subject areas: “Earth and Environmental Sciences” and “Chemistry and Materials Science.”
NUST MISIS Rector Alevtina Chernikova said: “At NUST MISIS, we welcome young people from all regions of Russia and more than 80 countries worldwide. One in five students is an international student. We train engineers and researchers capable of tackling complex scientific and industrial challenges. For six years, NUST MISIS has been a co-organiser of the International Open Doors Olympiad. Building on our priority areas — materials science, metallurgy and mining — the university coordinates the ‘Earth and Environmental Sciences’ and ‘Chemistry and Materials Science’ subject areas. This enables us to attract talented, motivated and well-prepared international applicants to the university.”
Earth and Environmental Sciences
At the 2025 Open Doors Olympiad, 27,190 participants competed in the “Earth and Environmental Sciences” subject area. A total of 250 winners and 375 runners-up were selected, while another 268 participants received recognition for outstanding performance.
Among the research fields, participants showed the greatest interest in meteorology and atmospheric sciences, environmental engineering, water resources, physical geography and environmental sciences. For master’s programmes, the most popular choices included environmental sciences, petroleum engineering and geology.
At the bachelor’s level, the most popular fields of study were “Ecology and Environmental Management,” “Geology” and “Geography.”
A total of 8,302 participants took part in the bachelor’s track in this subject area, 16% of whom completed the tasks in Russian. The competition resulted in 72 winners and 91 runners-up. When choosing their further studies, 98% of participants opted for Russian-language instruction, while 87% chose a preparatory faculty.
Chemistry and Materials Science
At the 2025 Open Doors Olympiad, 20,013 participants competed in the “Chemistry and Materials Science” subject area. A total of 55 participants were named winners and 68 runners-up, while another 103 received recognition for outstanding performance.
Participants showed interest in a wide range of research fields. At the bachelor’s level, the most popular fields of study were “Materials Science and Materials Engineering,” “Chemistry” and “Innovation Studies.”
A total of 8,357 participants took part in the bachelor’s track in this subject area, 17% of whom completed the tasks in Russian. The competition resulted in 14 winners and 22 runners-up. When choosing their further studies, 88% of participants opted for Russian-language instruction, while 74% chose a preparatory faculty.
The International Open Doors Olympiad is being held for the tenth time with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
