How to assemble a strong portfolio

Let’s look at each section in detail: what you should include and how many points you can get.

• Letter of motivation – up to 25 points

This is an essay about yourself that fits into 3,500 characters. It should include: 

• Your understanding of the program. Explain why you chose this program and how you see its specific goals;
• Goals and plans. Explain how the program relates to your career plans and experience;
• University impact. Don’t forget to mention how you can contribute to ITMO and the scientific community.

Key tip from the Admission Office: don’t submit an essay generated by AI. The experts will see through it and you won’t have a chance to win the contest.

• Professional achievements – up to 50 points in each track

This is the most important section, where you need to demonstrate and prove your successes. You fill out this section based on your chosen track in the contest; there are three in total, all corresponding to different programs. You can check which tracks correspond to which programs in the Admission Guidelines (in Russian).

Scientific track. This option is for those planning to build an academic career. To participate in it, you will need to attach to your application publications in WOS-, Scopus-, or Higher Attestation Commission-indexed journals, patents, and certificates of registration of software and databases. Also considered are conference presentations, participation in research projects, a summary of your graduation thesis, and relevant work experience. 

Engineering track. Applicants can submit the same achievements as in the scientific track, but will have an advantage if they can attach a portfolio of engineering or hardware-software solutions.

Interdisciplinary track. Instead of scientific papers, here applicants need to provide a creative portfolio. For instance, it could include links to photo, video, and audio projects, interactive installations, blogs, street art, as well as sketches. A significant addition to this list are media publications about these projects or awards. Applicants in this track can also get points for publications in WOS-, Scopus-, or Higher Attestation Commission-indexed journals and relevant work experience.

A special feature of the interdisciplinary track is the chance to complete an interview. This option will be available to applicants who scored at least 60 points for their portfolio and will bring an additional 20 points.

Important: the personal achievements attached to the application must correspond to the letter of motivation.

• Academic achievements – up to 25 points

This section includes the average GPA in applicants’ higher education certificates, as well as: 

• Certificates of national and regional competitions; Governor’s, Governmental, and Presidential scholarships;
• Certificates of professional training, retraining, and relevant online courses;
• Language proficiency certificates: IELTS, TOEFL, CAE, CPE;
• Participation in internships and summer schools;
• Professional competitions: wins at hackathons and other competitions corresponding to the program’s focus.

• Achievements from the list – up to 75 points

This section was added in 2026 as an additional opportunity to score more points. Applicants can get them by becoming winners or runners-up in over 30 competitions organized by ITMO, including those in AI and machine learning, physics and engineering, infochemistry, robotics, business management, art & science, and others.

Important: only one achievement in the current academic year will be recognized in this section. As an exception, you can provide the results of participation in the Congress of Young Scientists in previous years. They will be considered equally to other achievements.