Key results in numbers

ITMO Rector Vladimir Vasilyev announced the first results of this year’s admission campaign at a press conference for TASS. ITMO has welcomed 1,635 students to tuition-free positions in Bachelor’s programs. The total number of applicants this year amounted to 12,279, which is 4,000 more than last year.

“In 2026, ITMO welcomed a great number of strong applicants and contest winners. For us, it’s particularly important: we train future technology leaders and participation in contests is a marker of one’s ability to solve complex, non-trivial problems,” shared Vladimir Vasyliev.

The university attracts talents from all over the country. After St. Petersburg, the greatest number of applicants comes from Moscow and Moscow Oblast. The number of such applicants grew in 2026: last year, it made up 9% of the total number of applicants, while this year, it’s 11%. Among other highly represented regions are the Republic of Bashkortostan, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, and the Republic of Tatarstan.

In 2026, the university received a total of 32,800 applications to tuition-free positions in its Bachelor’s programs. That’s an all-time record for ITMO. For comparison, the 2025 admission campaign saw 21,000 such applications, and the one in 2024 – 18,000. The average Unified State Exam (USE) score also grew, now amounting to 96.3, which is 2.1 points higher than last year.

Moreover, the university was chosen by 875 winners and runners-up of school student contests. This is a record number for ITMO and St. Petersburg, and also one of the best results in the country. The majority of applicants are winners of the National Competition for School Students, Open Competition for School Students, or National Technology Olympiad. Contest winners were particularly interested in programs in IT and natural sciences, including Computer Technologies, Software Engineering, AI Engineering, Infochemistry, and Theoretical and Experimental Physics.

Apart from the general competition, admissions have wrapped up for enrollment via various quotas. ITMO welcomed 35 applicants to positions sponsored by companies, and 102 and 176 students who enrolled via special quotas.

Most popular programs

Traditionally, a great number of applicants opt for IT-related specializations – this year, 1,046 applicants followed this track. Applicants are highly interested in programs developed with industrial partners, as well as within federal projects Top IT, Top DS, and Top IT PRO. 

The most popular specializations among applicants include Physics, Mathematical Support and Administration of Information Systems, Information Security, Software Engineering, and Information Systems and Technologies. This demonstrates that the majority of applicants are building careers in AI, programming, and software engineering. 

At the same time, there is a growing interest in natural sciences. For instance, the entrance threshold for Chemistry is 310, Physics – 301, Biotechnical Systems and Technologies – 287, and Technical Physics – 281.

“Starting from this academic year, ITMO’s Bachelor’s and Master’s programs will be relying on the role-based competency model. At its core is not a specialization, but professional roles that graduates will have to fill, primarily in high-tech fields and in the field of technological leadership. These roles are changing quickly; for some fields, such as AI, it can happen every month. That’s why the approach to designing educational programs is shifting accordingly. We’ve been conducting this experiment for three years and are ready to implement this model university-wide starting September 1,” commented Vladimir Vasyliev.

ITMO STARS 2026

Talented applicants lacking USE points can enrol at ITMO via ITMO STARS. With this program, school students from all over the country get to present their creations – from social projects to tech startups – as part of a competition. ITMO covers the tuition fees of students who demonstrate exceptional results. This year, 16 students enrolled via the initiative.

Key dates for applicants

The admissions continue. At ITMO, there are still 1,400 tuition-based positions open to Bachelor’s students, 2,838 tuition-free and 800 tuition-based positions for Master’s students, and 254 tuition-free and 141 tuition-based positions for PhD students.

Applications to tuition-based Bachelor’s positions are open until August 18. For Master’s students, tuition-free admissions last till August 20, while applications for tuition-based positions will close on August 28. For PhD students, August 28 is the deadline for submitting enrollment agreements.

International students may apply online via abitlk.itmo.ru/en. You can also get in touch with the International Educational Programs Department via international@itmo.ru.