ITMO's 2023 Master's Admissions Campaign Results

In 2023, ITMO University offered an unprecedented 2,789 tuition-free positions for prospective Master’s students. The university received over 13,000 applications from 5,186 students (3,300 – last year) who wished to study at ITMO for free. In comparison to 2022, the proportion of these students grew by a whopping 20%. 

A similar trend is observed for the geographical reach. In 2023, 86% of all applications were submitted by students who studied at other Russian universities, compared to 76% last year. Overall, the university will welcome students from 80 Russian regions in the upcoming academic year. 

Over half of all admitted students (65%) entered ITMO University exam-free, based on the results of their state final examination (578), ITMO’s Portfolio contest (407), I’m A Professional contest and Mega Contest (103). Additionally, 79 applicants got enrolled through the Mega School, which was launched this year, while 566 – via the programs’ own contests (over 20 of them at the university).

Popular programs

In 2023, the university offers 78 Master’s programs in 36 subject areas, including programming, artificial intelligence, information security, robotics, physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, ecology, energy, engineering, economics and innovations, and humanities. There were 17 new programs introduced this year, many of which were launched in collaboration with industry heavyweights such as Yandex, VK, YADRO, and others. 

The most applied-for program was Highload Systems (14 people per position). Other big hits were Game Development Technologies (nearly 6 people per position); Web Scale Systems (in partnership with VK); Data Analytics; Web Technologies; Software Engineering; Multimedia Technologies, Design, and Usability; Big Data and Machine Learning (~5 people per position at each program); Programming and Internet Technologies (4 people per position); and Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (3.5 people per position). 

“This year we saw an increased interest in the programs implemented with high-tech partners, including Yandex, VK, and RADAR MMS. As our prospective students strive to acquire not only a degree but also applied skills, they value collaborations with industry leaders. We want our applicants to be confident in their fields of choice. Hence, we see more and more students considering their applications in advance and participating in various entrance contests ,” shares Alexey Itin, the head of the Admissions Office. 

Applications to tuition-based positions are still being accepted until August 25. 

For more updates about Master’s programs, follow their official Telegram channel or VK page (in Russian). And to keep up to date on all things ITMO, join the university's communities on VK (in Russian and English) and Telegram (in Russian, English, and Spanish).