Key numbers

ITMO Rector Vladimir Vasilyev shared the results of the admissions campaign at a TASS press conference: both the amount of competition and the average scores of applicants demonstrate the students’ considerable knowledge and skills.

In 2025, more than 8,800 applicants from all over Russia competed for the university’s 1,592 tuition-free spots. Among the most represented regions by number of applications were Moscow and Moscow Oblast, Bashkir Republic, Krasnodar Krai, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and Perm Krai.

Over the course of the admissions campaign, 21,650 applications were submitted for tuition-free positions – 3,000 more than last year. Applicants’ interest in ITMO’s programs has been growing every year: in 2024 the university received 18,000 applications, in 2023 – 17,000, and in 2022 – 13,000. As a result, 1,592 individuals were able to enroll in tuition-free positions in Bachelor’s and Specialist’s programs. Their average Unified State Exam (USE) score is 93.91.

“These numbers – the competition and the average USE score – demonstrate the interest of applicants in high-quality higher education. We see that motivated, talented students opt for programs that virtually guarantee employment in positions where they’ll be able to realize their potential. And this is true not just for ITMO, but for other leading universities in the country,” says Dr. Vasilyev.

ITMO remains one of the most popular universities among talented applicants – this year, 728 school contest winners enrolled at the university. This is the highest number in St. Petersburg and a record-breaker for the university.

The majority of applicants enrolled via competitions in mathematics and computer science; other fields include physics, chemistry, computer security, AI, game development, robotics, and machine learning. Among the most popular competitions are the Open Competition for school students (77 applicants enrolled) and various subject fields of the National Technological Contest (65 applicants enrolled).

Another 246 students were enrolled via various quotas: places provided by high-tech companies – 46, special quotas – 80 and 120 students. 

Popular programs

IT- and AI-related programs at ITMO traditionally remain the most popular; these are AI360: ML Native, Computer Technologies, Software Engineering, AI Engineering, and System and Applied Software. Compared to last year, the popularity of AI- and programming-focused programs grew by 30% based on the number of applications. Whereas in 2024 the top five programs received 10,000 applications, in 2025 the number reached over 13,000.

At the same time, engineering and natural sciences programs also saw a rise in popularity – by 10% compared to last year.

Subject areas within IT also remain the ones with the highest “threshold” scores: applicants for programs within Applied Mathematics and Computer Science needed to score at least 305 points; meanwhile, only contest winners were able to enroll in programs within the subject fields Information Systems and Technologies and Mathematical Support and Administration of Information Systems.

“Applicants are highly interested in top-level AI and IT programs supported by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media. We have to not only embrace this trend, but also to improve the level of training provided in these fields. This year, we developed a role-based competency model for training lecturers and heads of educational programs in AI. The model is a potential foundation for new programs at the country’s leading universities,” adds ITMO Rector Vladimir Vasilyev. 

ITMO.STARS

Talents can also enroll at ITMO via the university’s own competitions – for instance, ITMO.STARS is a contest for students who didn’t score high enough on USE. There, they present their own solutions: research or social projects, engineering inventions, or tech startups. This year, 15 students enrolled via the competition; among their projects were: a platform for programming contests, an interactive AI-based toy for kids, an ML model for standardization of titanium dioxide nanotube production, and others.

Applications are still accepted from tuition-paying students – the deadline here is August 18. Lists of admitted tuition-paying students will be published on August 20, while the results of admissions to Master’s and PhD programs will be made available in late August.