The following items concern admission procedures for both Russian and international students. Some, like the Unified State Exam (USE), do not affect foreign nationals, aside from rare exceptions. For more information regarding admissions for students from abroad, please visit ITMO’s international admissions website at int.itmo.ru.

Fear #1: a Unified State Exam score under 50 means no admission, even to fee-based positions

The reality: there will be no outright restrictions; changes will concern only 10% of specializations.

According to the new rules (link in Russian), the Ministry of Science and Higher Education plans to calculate the share of fee-based positions for each subject area. So far, it’s known that admission statistics will be taken into account: if the paying students’ average score in a subject area is below 50, the university may be refused further fee-based positions. But this will only concern 10% of all specializations, including fields such as law, psychology, commodity science, and others. In relation to this, some universities may choose to raise their minimal USE score threshold.

ITMO will not be affected by the changes – for many years, the minimal threshold at the university has been 60 points in every subject. Every year, it enrolls students with remarkably high scores: in 2025, the average score among tuition-free students was 94.1, and 75.7 – among tuition-paying students.

Learn more about admission opportunities at ITMO on our official admissions website.

Fear #2: the USE exam in physics will become mandatory for engineering specializations

The reality: starting in 2026, physics will indeed be mandatory when applying to engineering programs – the Ministry of Science and Higher Education plans (link in Russian) to expand its list of engineering subject areas to 25 entries. Before these changes, it was possible to instead take the computer science exam, which some students consider easier.

But even before these changes, some of the engineering programs at ITMO required applicants to submit their physics scores: this includes Laser Engineering and Laser Technologies, Photonics and Optoinformatics, and Physics and Engineering. In the next academic year, physics scores will also be applicable for Instrumentation, Electric Power Industry and Electrical Engineering, and Innovation Science.

Fear #3: contest winners will have less privileges

The reality: the idea was pitched by Viktor Sadovnichiy, the Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, but has not so far been adopted. Some universities plan to limit the exam-free admission options exclusively to competition winners, not runners-up (“prize winners”). However, Valery Falkov, the head of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, has earlier claimed that top Russian universities will accept both winners and runners-up at their own expense in case of tuition-free position shortage.

ITMO will continue to enroll both contest winners and prize-winners; however, the requirements may differ depending on the competition and educational program. Most programs at ITMO accept students who excel at such competitions as the national olympiad for school students, the open olympiad for school students, and others. Though, applicants will, as before, need to have at least 75 points for their USE in the relevant subject.

Learn more about available admission options here.

Fear #4: college graduates will have to take USE to enter a university

The reality: this applies exclusively to those college graduates who plan to switch their specialization at a university.

Previously, college graduates could enroll at a university based on their USE score or the results of entrance exams; the second option was considered easier. Now, if a student stays within their specialization, they need to take entrance exams at the university of their choice; otherwise, they have to take USE and enter the common competition alongside school graduates. Each university determines corresponding programs on their own. The list of corresponding programs at ITMO will be available on January 20 on the Admissions website. 

Fear #5: all tuition-free spots will be taken by target quota students

The reality: the number of target quota positions will stay the same and won’t affect tuition-free positions within the university’s general competition. Starting from 2026, all vacant spots for target quota students will first be allocated into a special admission quota and if not occupied – into the common competition.