KronBars Stars 2026

KronBars Stars is a special scholarship program that’s been available at ITMO since 2021. It is meant for applicants with considerable sports achievements, who can use it to enroll in any Bachelor’s program at the university even with low USE scores. The scholarship can cover 50% or 100% of tuition.

Eligible applicants must have unique athletic achievements in any sport from a list of over 50, including football, basketball, drone racing, rowing, swimming, volleyball, and others.

Applications must include:

• minimal USE scores (at least 180 points total for three subjects);
• a letter of motivation explaining why ITMO is the university of choice for your academic and sports career;
• a portfolio of sports achievements, titles, and information about sports training; 
• completed sports medical examination and interview with an expert committee.

Over the five years of the program’s existence, more than 25 young athletes from different cities used it to enroll at ITMO. We talked to three winners from previous years about why they chose complex engineering programs over a sports-oriented university and how they benefitted from KronBars Stars.

Polina Karakhanova

Two-time winner of the Student Basketball Association Cup

Thanks to KronBars Stars, she enrolled in the Laser Technologies Bachelor’s program; now, she’s a Master’s student in Information Technologies in Thermal Physics

Sport of choice. I’ve been practicing basketball for over 10 years. When I was little, I also did synchronized swimming for a long time because my mom saw me in a more “feminine” sport. Since I was five, my dad and I have also been playing basketball. With time, I realized that I loved basketball more and dove right in.

In primary school, I won gold and silver medals in the championship of St. Petersburg; later, I also won tournaments in Latvia and Belarus. In the latest Russian championship, I took fifth place.

Admissions. I started preparing for university admissions in 9th grade. I considered different universities, but I didn’t want to study sports – instead, I wanted to focus on engineering. This has always been my choice. At an open day at ITMO, I learned more about various programs and chose the most fitting one. ITMO caught my attention with their approach to students and high quality of education. However, the competition is strong here and I was afraid I wouldn’t make it in. That’s why the KronBars Stars program became my golden ticket. I applied, passed the selection, and enrolled in the Bachelor’s program Laser Technologies.

Combining sport and studies. In the program, we had many courses on materials science and the knowledge I gained helped me enroll in a Master’s program. During my studies, I also discovered new fields that I hadn’t even considered. For instance, we had a course on web design; I got interested, acquired additional training, and have already worked in this field.

With KronBars Stars, I was able to continue playing basketball; our team has truly grown over the four years of my Bachelor’s studies. In my first year, we took third place in the first league of the North-Western Federal District. A year after that, we came third in the Neva Basketball League and became the champions of the Student Basketball Association Cup. In the next season, we retained this title, won silver among St. Petersburg student teams, and landed in the top six of the Russian Railways student league. We also took third places in 3x3 tournaments in St. Petersburg and in the international tournament of the Student Basketball Association.

I see myself as a disciplined person, so it’s easy for me to combine sports and studies. The main life hack is to allocate your time wisely. Moreover, at ITMO there are no daily 9-5 classes, so we have a lot of free time, including for homework.

What’s next. Having completed my Bachelor’s degree, I didn’t want to say goodbye to my basketball team, so I enrolled in the Master’s program Information Technologies in Thermal Physics at ITMO. I shifted my field slightly to gain new knowledge and expand my experience – to gain more employment prospects. Once I graduate with my Master’s degree, I am planning to apply my education and work as an engineer.

Mikhail Petrov

Earned the First-Class Sportsman title in football

With KronBars Stars, he enrolled in the Business Informatics and Data-Driven Management Bachelor’s program; he’s now a Master’s student in High-Tech Business Management

Sport of choice. Before I enrolled at ITMO, I’d been playing football for 11 years. The team of my school in Petrozavodsk has taken many prizes and wins in Karelia and the North-Western District; we also participated in national tournaments.

Admissions. I never considered studying sports at university, because I wanted to grow in another field as well. When I was choosing a university, my friend told me about KronBars Stars. As I learned more about it, I realized that it’d be a great chance to enter one of the country’s most prestigious universities. So, naturally, I decided to try. I chose Business Informatics and Data-Driven Management because I wanted to learn how technologies can optimize business processes and improve a company’s competitive position.

Combining sport and studies. It turned out to be easier than it might seem. The main thing is to learn to plan your time and evaluate your resources. As a Bachelor’s student, I participated in several team projects. For instance, we had to develop a digitalization concept for a small business. We analyzed the existing processes and suggested changes: implementing a CRM system, automating accounting through ERP (enterprise resource planning), and using sales analytics to predict demand. The knowledge I acquired during my studies helped me see how I can connect IT tools to a company’s financial data and understand what actually makes a company more competitive.

Thanks to KronBars Stars, I had the chance to not only study at ITMO, but also continue playing football at a high level and improve my skills. For instance, in 2023, our team won bronze at the St. Petersburg University Championship; that year we also participated in the national futsal tournament Silver League. In 2025, we took second place in the first league of the St. Petersburg tournament, which brought us to the major league, where we are now playing.

What’s next. I am still a member of the university’s varsity football team and I hope we get on the pedestal this year, too. I am also a Master’s student in high-tech business management, building on what I learned in my Bachelor’s degree. In the future, I’d like to work in tech entrepreneurship or project management. For example, I could work as a business analyst or project manager at an IT company; there, I’d be able to apply my knowledge of project optimization and digital transformation. I am also excited by the idea of launching my own project one day.

Maksim Trukhin

Competed in the youth national rowing team

With KronBars Stars, he enrolled in the Business Informatics and Data-Driven Management Bachelor’s program; he’s now a Master’s student in High-Tech Business Management

Sport of choice. I’ve been doing sports since I was six, so I’ve always been combining it with school. Since 15, I started to practice rowing and I am still grateful to my parents for sending me to train in this sport. Before enrolling at ITMO, I managed to become a champion of St. Petersburg in modern pentathlon, took first and third places in national rowing competitions, and was a member of the youth national rowing team in 2019.

Admissions. I never considered studying sports at a university. Naturally, being an athlete built my discipline and improved my character, but I always prioritized getting into a leading engineering university. However, I was realistic about my chances – I know that the competition is high there, while the number of tuition-free positions and available universities is limited. It was then that the managing team of KronBars Stars reached out to me and suggested looking into ITMO; thanks to my sports achievements I could enroll into any program tuition-free. I decided to use this opportunity, joined the competition, and got into the program Business Informatics and Data Driven Management, because I was looking for something at the intersection of economics, finance, management, digitalization, and modern methods and technologies. 

Talking about my Bachelor’s studies, I would like to mention the modern, personalized approach to education. My program combines economic and engineering courses really well, which allowed me to pick the trajectory I feel most excited about and work in this field. The courses on soft skills also proved to be valuable, I still use them in my work. Over the course of my studies, I made many friends and established good relationships with many lecturers, who still act as mentors for me, helping me in my academic career. Thanks to ITMO, as a third-year student, I landed the job of a lead business analyst at Gazprom Neft; I also worked as an analyst at several exciting startups that have already become profitable.

Combining sport and studies. Unfortunately, I am not as organized as I’d like to be. However, I am really lucky to be surrounded by people who shape my mood and motivate me to keep proving myself. I can’t let them down. Since my first athletic season at ITMO, I’ve been helping the university’s team perform in national competitions. We were always among the top three teams, even though the competition there is strong, with over 40 universities competing. We have many winning seasons and races, and in 2019 I even made it to the youth national rowing team.

What’s next. I am planning to continue my studies in a PhD program, expand my team, and work on a startup at the intersection of finance, decentralized storage technologies, and legaltech.