Contents

1. Key dates
2. Application procedure
3. Priorities 
4. Admission lists
5. Entrance exams
6. Admission without exams
7. Personal achievements
8. Tuition-based admission
9. Useful resources

This year, ITMO offers 80 Master’s programs, including several new ones related to health data and intelligent food systems. The programs span over 13 fields: these are AI, information security, robotics, biotechnology, and more.

Among the programs’ partners are major tech companies such as Yandex, Alfa-Bank, Sberbank, VK, Napoleon IT, Positive Technologies, YADRO, Gazprom Neft, Tatneft, BIOCAD, and many others. Students learn from industry experts, build future-proof skills on real-world cases, complete internships, and receive job offers even before they graduate. Over 80% of graduates find employment in their field after they receive their diploma; some secure a spot at a company (e.g., YADRO or Yandex) during their studies.

Key dates

In 2026, the application period will start on June 20 and end on:

• August 20 – for tuition-free applicants; 

• August 28 – for tuition-based applicants.

NB! Applicants who apply for tuition-free positions need to submit their enrollment confirmation before 12 PM (GMT+3) August 24.

Regardless of their enrollment option, all tuition-free applications will be enrolled with a single order on August 25.

The order of admission for fee-based positions will be published on August 30.

Application procedure

Starting this year, applicants can no longer submit their applications using university admissions websites. Instead, there will be only three ways to submit your documents: 

• in person at the Admission Office on Kronverksky Pr. 49;

• by mail;

• via Gosuslugi.

The list of application documents remains the same: an application form; a scanned copy of your passport (with a notarized translation to Russian); a scanned copy of your education documents; any documents confirming your personal achievements; your photo (in the digital format), and medical documents.

You don’t need to provide the original copy of your education documents. Instead, you’ll need to submit your enrollment confirmation via Gosuslugi, by mail, or in person. Tuition-free applicants need to confirm their enrollment at the university until 12 PM (GMT+3) August 24. You can change your choice until the end of the application period but only once every two hours.

Priorities

When filling out your application, you need to indicate a priority next to each chosen specialization: 1 – the top priority, 5 – the lowest priority. If you pass the selection for several specializations, you will be enrolled in the one that has the highest priority on your list. 

NB! Priorities work exclusively within one university; it means that you’ll need to make a list of priority specializations in each one.

Priorities are also reflected in admissions lists. The lists are available online and are updated regularly: no less than once an hour at the admissions website and no less than five times a day at Gosuslugi (if there are any changes). This will help you keep track of the admission campaign and better evaluate your chances; this way, you’ll be able to see that for some applicants, your program is a top priority, while for others – a backup plan.

Admission lists

When submitting their application, each applicant receives a unique number by a unified system that they can use to find themselves in contest and application lists at each university. Admission lists are published and constantly updated on ITMO’s admissions website.

Entrance exams

Most applicants take entrance exams to enroll in the university. All exams are held online in Russian or English. Each program has its own examination format – oral or written, with or without a pre-test.

A list of recommended literature and questions for entrance exams can be found on individual pages of educational programs at the admissions website. Most commonly, entrance exams go as follows: a student receives two questions from the list and has an hour for preparation; they can’t use additional materials, smartphones, or calculators. Applicants can take an entrance exam for a program only once. 

Applicants can score up to 100 for their exam.

All the details on the dates and formats of entrance exams are available on the admissions website. You can choose your preferred enrollment option, as well as the date and time for your examination when submitting your application.

Admission without exams

There are three main options for applicants with different backgrounds and results.

Portfolio Contest

The contest allows applicants to enroll at the university based on their professional, academic, and research achievements, as well as their letter of motivation. In 2026, the list also includes indexed achievements: participation and victories at over 30 inner competitions and student olympiads.

Who can participate: Bachelor’s, Specialists, and Master’s students and graduates.

How to apply. Contestants can apply to up to five programs. The jury assesses each application section and awards scores. Those who receive 85+ points are considered winners and can enroll without entrance exams.

Dates. The contest runs in three individual stages: February 16 - March 29, April 20 - May 31, and June 26 - July 31.

Letter of recommendation

Applicants can ask the head of their future program to write them a letter of recommendation if they have already worked with ITMO experts or at the university’s laboratories. For example, if they interned at a research center, took part in a conference, published a joint paper, or became a winner or a runner-up of ITMO’s hackathons or competitions.

Who can participate: Bachelor’s, Specialist’s, and Master’s students and graduates.

How to apply. Applicants need to reach out to their colleagues at ITMO who can evaluate their performance. This colleague will then need to request a recommendation letter from the head of a particular educational program. Your application must state the Letter of Recommendation as your enrollment option.

Dates. Recommendation letters must be submitted until August 20.

ITMO Mega Contest

Since 2026, the competition includes Mega Contest and Mega School (offered in Russian) – both are held online and are designed for students and graduates from Russia and other countries. The Mega Contest includes a qualifying and final round and is held in 25+ fields (including two English tracks), while the Mega School features lectures by ITMO experts and a final task across 20 tracks. 

The results will be announced on February 8 (for Mega School) and on February 9-13 (for Mega Contest). Winners of the Mega Contest will be equal to winners of the overall competition and those of the Mega School – to prize-winners. Both categories will be granted tuition-free positions in an ITMO Master’s program before the start of the admissions campaign. Winners can apply for more than 60 Master’s programs at ITMO.

Another enrollment option includes the I Am a Professional contest. This is a national competition across 70 tracks in different fields; Programming and IT, Information and Cyber Security, and Product Management in Digital Business are organized by ITMO University. All medalists, winners, and diploma holders of the contest get enrolled at ITMO or other top universities in Russia without entrance exams and receive internship opportunities at top domestic companies. Additionally, medalists receive 100,000-300,000 rubles.

Personal achievements

The list of personal achievements in 2026 will also include diplomas for becoming a winner or a runner-up at the educational forum “It’s Your Call!”. Other personal achievements include:

• publications in scientific peer-reviewed journals indexed by Web of Science Core Collection and/or Scopus (within the last five years);
• a patent or a patent application that aligns with the priority fields of scientific and technological development of Russia (also within the last five years);
• a diploma in the “Enroll at ITMO with English!” contest;
• a certificate of a winner or a runner-up of the national engineering contest;
• a gold, silver, or bronze GTO medal.

NB! You can earn a maximum of 10 points for your personal achievements.

Tuition-based admission

The application procedure for tuition-based positions remains the same: prospective students apply in person, by mail, or via Gosuslugi, choose several educational programs, indicate “fee-based admission” as their enrollment option, and compete in the general contest. Then, all applicants who pass the selection sign a contract with the university and pay for their studies in the first semester. The order of admission for fee-based students will be published on August 30.

Useful sources

The admissions website offers current details on educational programs, open days, and key deadlines. You can also get updates on the admissions campaign via VK and Telegram. If you’re an international student, please refer to the university’s official English communities on VK and Telegram for questions and updates. Additionally, you can reach the ITMO Admission Office by phone +7 (812) 480-0-480 or in person: St. Petersburg, Kronverksky Pr. 49 (Mon-Fri 10 AM - 6 PM). Find more contact details for international applicants here.