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Mega Competition
About the opportunity. This is an entrance competition for Russian and international students and graduates organized by ITMO University. Since 2026, it includes Mega Contest and Mega School (exclusively for Russian-speaking students) – both are held online and give applicants an opportunity to enter ITMO Master’s programs without having to take any entrance exams.
The Mega Contest is held in 25+ subject fields (including two tracks in English), including software engineering and computer technologies, physics, infochemistry, biotechnology, engineering sciences, ecology, science communication, business management, and others. Some fields also include several tracks to choose from. Applicants are required to pass the qualifying round before they will advance to the finals, where they will be assigned different challenges depending on the chosen track: this could be to code their own program or analyze real-world business problems.
The Mega School, though also held online, includes a three-day program. First, participants attend themed lectures, participate in workshops by university lecturers and ITMO’s corporate partners, and then have to complete a final task. Depending on their track, the final task could be to solve a business case, build an AI solution, or develop a mini-project. Applicants can choose from over 20 tracks: Artificial Intelligence, Industrial Backend Development, Robotics and Control Systems, Chemistry and AI, Applied Genomics, IP Management, and many others. In 2026, the school will introduce 10 new tracks.
Who can apply? Bachelor’s, Specialist’s, and Master’s students and graduates from Russia and other countries.
How to apply. Prospective students can apply for one or both competitions and several tracks simultaneously. Though, it's important to gauge your strength and time before signing up for such a track. NB! Some events within the Mega School are held in real time.
Registration for both events ends on January 13. To participate, you need to submit your application via Mega Contest or Mega School websites. There, you can find out more about deadlines, tracks, and available formats.
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 will be granted a chance to secure a tuition-free position in an ITMO Master’s program before the start of the admissions campaign and not take entrance exams in summer. In June, once the campaign starts, winners will need to submit their documents in-person at the Admissions Office, via mail, or the Gosuslugi portal. NB! Your application must state Mega Competition as your enrollment option.
Available programs. Winners can apply for more than 60 Master’s programs. The complete list will be published on ITMO’s admissions website on January 20.
Credit: ITMO University
Portfolio Contest
About the opportunity. The Portfolio Contest is designed for prospective students with notable professional or academic achievements: publications in high-ranked journals, participation in major conferences, and victories at hackathons or professional competitions.
To apply for the contest, you need to fill out an application form and submit it via ITMO’s Admissions Office. This year, the application form includes four sections:
A letter of motivation. In your letter, you need to state which program you want to join and why, as well as how it will affect your future career.
Professional achievements. There are three tracks to choose from – pick the one that suits you best and provide relevant information:
- Research track: scientific reports, publications in proceedings and journals indexed by WoS, Scopus, or the Higher Attestation Commission, patents and state registration certificates for software and databases, participation in research projects, a brief description of your thesis, and work experience, if any;
- Engineering track: the same categories as in the research track but also a portfolio of engineering, software and hardware equipment;
- Interdisciplinary track: scientific reports, a brief description of your thesis, a portfolio with links to your creative photo, video, or audio projects, installations, interactive projects, blogs, street art, and drafts or practical projects with links to media materials, awards and project briefs, publications in proceedings and journals indexed by WoS, Scopus, or the Higher Attestation Commission, and work experience, if any.
Credit: ITMO University
Academic achievements. These include language proficiency certificates, personal scholarships, internships, summer schools and other educational projects, certificates of advanced training or retraining, and an average GPA.
Indexed achievements. This category will be first introduced in 2026 and feature achievements specific to the university. One example is participation in some of over 30 inner competitions across various fields: AI and machine learning, physics and engineering, infochemistry, robotics, business management, art & science, and others. Additionally, applicants can also provide certificates from other student competitions, such as I Am a Professional. You can learn more about ITMO’s internal competitions here.
Who can apply? Bachelor’s, Specialists, and Master’s students and graduates with notable research, engineering, or interdisciplinary achievements.
How to apply. Prospective students can apply for up to five Master’s programs within the Portfolio Contest. The contest is held three times a year: from February to March, from April to May, and from mid-June to August. The committee evaluates each application and gives scores: applicants can receive up to 25 points for the letter of motivation, up to 50 points for CV, up to 25 points for academic achievements, and up to 70 points for indexed achievements. Contestants need to score 85 points and more to win the competition.
In 2026, prospective students can apply in-person at the Admissions Office, via mail or the Gosuslugi portal. NB! Your application must state the Portfolio Contest as your enrollment option.
Available programs. The complete list will be published on ITMO’s admissions website on January 20.
Credit: ITMO University
Letter of recommendation
About the opportunity. 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 apply? Bachelor’s, Specialist’s, and Master’s students and graduates who have collaborated with ITMO.
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. The letter will feature an applicant’s characteristics, the fields of their interest, and achievements at ITMO – namely, conferences, papers, scientific projects, and contests. You can contact a manager of the program of your choice to find out more.
NB! Your application must state the Letter of Recommendation as your enrollment option.
Available programs. The option applies to all programs. The complete list will be published on ITMO’s admissions website on January 20.
Explore more enrollment opportunities for international students here.
