2027 Open Doors Scholarship in Russia | How To Apply

The 2027 Open Doors Scholarship Program is an opportunity for talented international students who want to pursue undergraduate, Master’s, or doctoral studies in Russia with tuition-free education.

The international Olympiad allows successful participants to gain access to participating Russian universities without taking the standard entrance examinations. Depending on the selected track, winners can pursue their chosen degree program or, for the postdoctoral track, take part in research opportunities.

Open Doors Scholarship 2027 Summary

• Host Country: Russia
• Study Level: Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral
• Eligible Countries: Foreign citizens and stateless persons
• Scholarship Type: Fully funded/tuition-free study opportunity
• Language: English or Russian, depending on the selected program
• Deadline: November 1, 2026

About the Open Doors Scholarship

The Open Doors International Olympiad is designed to help talented international students gain access to higher education and research opportunities in Russia.

The competition has different tracks for prospective Bachelor’s, Master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral applicants.

Winners of the relevant academic tracks can obtain the opportunity to study at participating Russian universities without paying tuition fees under the established quota for international students.

The competition is conducted in several stages. These include portfolio evaluation, problem-solving tasks, and, for doctoral applicants, the opportunity to select a potential research supervisor and participate in an interview.

Eligibility Requirements

To participate in the 2027 Open Doors Scholarship Program, applicants must meet the requirements for their chosen track.

For the Master’s track, applicants should have a Bachelor’s degree or be completing their Bachelor’s degree during the year of the Olympiad final.

For the doctoral track, applicants should have a Master’s or Specialist’s degree, or be completing the required qualification during the year of the Olympiad final.

Applicants should also:

• Be foreign citizens or stateless persons, including eligible compatriots living abroad.
• Agree to the processing of personal data as required by the competition.
• Participate using the official Olympiad registration system.
• Select a subject or academic field corresponding to their intended study program.
• Meet the specific requirements of their chosen Olympiad track.

The official languages of the Olympiad are English and Russian.

Benefits of the Open Doors Scholarship 2027

Successful participants can benefit from a tuition-free pathway to participating Russian universities.

Depending on the selected track, winners may:

• Gain admission to eligible Bachelor’s, Master’s, or postgraduate programs without standard entrance examinations.
• Have their tuition fees covered through the Russian Federation’s established quota.
• Choose from participating Russian universities and eligible programs.
• Study in English or Russian, depending on the selected university and program.
• Doctoral-track winners can select a prospective research supervisor and participate in an interview.
• Postdoctoral winners can pursue available research opportunities with participating projects.

How to Apply for the Open Doors Scholarship 2027

Interested applicants can follow these steps to participate:

1. Visit the official Open Doors Olympiad website.
2. Register online between August 21 and November 1, 2026.
3. Click the “Sign Up” option and create your participant account.
4. Provide the required personal information, email address, and password during registration.
5. Access your personal account after completing registration.
6. Review the information about the portfolio requirements and evaluation criteria.
7. Familiarize yourself with the sample tasks for the second stage of the competition.
8. Complete the required stages of the Olympiad according to your selected track.
9. Doctoral applicants should follow the additional procedures for selecting and interviewing with a prospective research supervisor.
10. Await the results and further instructions from the Olympiad organizers.

Participants are allowed to register and participate only once during the Olympiad year, so applicants should ensure that their information is accurate before completing registration.

Application Deadline: November 1, 2026

Apply Here