Chosen by Best: ITMO Among Leading Russian Universities by Number of Enrolled Contest Winners

The number of contest winners enrolled at ITMO grows every year: in 2024, it was 681, and in 2025 – 728. This year’s result set a new record for the university and reaffirmed its reputation as one of the country’s top choices for the most talented school students. 

According to the Admissions Office, ITMO is most often picked by winners and runners-up of math and IT contests. Other popular specializations include physics, chemistry, biology, big data, machine learning, and VR technologies. The majority of applicants are winners of the National Competition for School Students, Open Competition for School Students, or National Technology Olympiad. 

As in previous years, the majority of contest winners applied to IT programs, such as Computer Technologies, Software Engineering, and AI Engineering. Programs in natural sciences are also popular, including Infochemistry and Theoretical and Experimental Physics. Applicants are drawn to educational programs created in collaboration with industry, where students can intern during their studies, participate in ongoing projects at partner companies, and even receive an offer before their graduation. Among such specializations, this year’s applicants opted for AI360: ML Native, implemented in partnership with Yandex and Sberbank, as well as Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, which will include an additional selection for Yandex Physical AI Garage. 

“The active interest in ITMO among talented applicants is a result of the educational environment built by the university through the years. We are chosen by school students who don’t just want a diploma – they come here to engage in frontier research and learn from leading researchers and industry experts. Any top university has to attract such students, those who demonstrate out-of-the-box thinking, as well as a readiness to look for new approaches and create solutions in answer to challenges in science and economy. During their studies at ITMO, they stop being ‘just’ contest winners: they author research papers in top journals, launch startups, develop new technologies, and get offers from major Russian companies,” says Kirill Alexandrov, the first deputy head of ITMO University’s Admissions Office.

Winners in national and international competitions get other benefits as well: for instance, at ITMO, they receive the highest ITMO Family stipend. In 2026, it grew to 100,000 rubles monthly, meaning that students can make their first million rubles in their first year of studies. After that, their stipend will depend on their success in academic and research endeavors. Additionally, ITMO offers a dedicated support program for talented applicants: they receive an increased stipend and personal career consultations; applicants from other Russian cities also receive travel grants to St. Petersburg for their application and dorms in central St. Petersburg.

In 2026, ITMO offers 27 Bachelor’s programs in six fields: IT, physics, biotechnologies, chemistry, innovation studies, and engineering. The majority of programs are supported by industry partners, including major big tech players: Sberbank, Yandex, VK, Avito, and others.

ITMO University regularly lands in the top three of the national ranking of universities for AI specialists, as compiled by AI Alliance. SuperJob’s ranking of universities by the salaries of their graduates also ranks ITMO among its leaders. Moreover, in 2026, ITMO topped the ranking by career platform Changellenge as the best university according to students.