Make a Million in Your First Year: ITMO Boosts Stipends for Contest Winners and Top Students

Applicants enrolled in tuition-free positions with 100-point USE scores in several subjects or winners of national or international competitions (in computer science, math, physics, chemistry, and others) will be able to receive an increased stipend of 100,000 rubles monthly. This means that in their first year, students will make one million rubles. The stipend is provided by ITMO’s endowment fund, as well as the university’s partners and graduates.

In the subsequent years of their studies, students will also receive a stipend, but its amount will depend on their academic and scientific performance. ITMO offers over 20 stipend programs for Bachelor’s students, including through competitions offered by tech partners – Yandex, Sberbank, VK, Avito, Gazprom Neft, and others. These stipends can reach up to 40,000 rubles a month and may be combined with an ITMO FAMILY stipend. 

This isn’t the only way ITMO supports talented students – several years ago, the university introduced ITMO Priority, a special program for those who scored 100 USE points in several subjects and winners of national and international competitions. 

Apart from the extended stipend, participants get:

• Grants for travel to St. Petersburg (if coming from outside the city) and placement in an ITMO dorm in the city center;
• Support from a personal admissions manager and career consultations: before enrollment, applicants can meet the dean of their faculty or the head of the educational program, consult a secretary of the Admission Office, and visit ITMO campuses and labs;
• VIP tickets to ITMO Family Day, a major festival on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.

The program is available for any Bachelor’s specialization that correspondes to a USE or entrance competition subject, including information technologies, life sciences, physics, engineering, economics and innovations, and interdisciplinary studies.

Applications to the ITMO Priority program are accepted until July 25, which is the final application day for Bachelor’s students. To participate, applicants need to: 

• Fill out an application form on the website, indicating their participation conditions (USE results or status as a winner/runner-up in a competition);
• Discuss their next application steps and necessary documents with a manager, who will reach out to the applicant once the application is filled out to help with accessing additional opportunities or a travel grant (if needed);
• Apply for a tuition-free position in an ITMO Bachelor’s program.

If all conditions are met, after admission, students are automatically included in the program and start receiving all the benefits.