Open Doors 2027 Scholarship in Russia: Fully Funded Tuition-Free for International Students

Introduction

The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project 2027 is an international scholarship competition that gives foreign citizens and stateless persons the opportunity to pursue Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral studies in Russia tuition-free, or secure a postdoctoral research position at participating Russian universities.

The competition has been held annually since 2017. It is organised by the Association of Global Universities, a consortium of leading Russian universities, and supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo.

More than 100,000 talented and motivated people from many countries participate in the competition each year. The Open Doors covers 14 interdisciplinary subject areas, with opportunities ranging from engineering and medicine to economics, linguistics and artificial intelligence.

Participation is completely free, takes place online, and the official working languages are English and Russian. Winners can gain admission through a streamlined, one-stop process to leading Russian universities. More than 6,000 international students have benefited from the opportunity over the past seven years.

Benefits

Winners of the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks receive:

Tuition-free study in their chosen degree programme.
The opportunity to study in English or Russian, depending on the selected programme.
One year of free Russian-language training for students who choose a degree programme taught in Russian.
The opportunity to choose a university and degree programme through a streamlined, one-stop system.
Access to an engaging student-life and campus experience.
Ongoing support and assistance throughout the academic journey.

Winners of the Postdoctoral track receive:

A postdoctoral position in a research project at one of Russia’s universities.
The opportunity to choose a university research project through the one-stop system.
The opportunity to work under the guidance of world-renowned scientists.
Access to state-of-the-art research equipment.
Continuous support throughout their research work.

Under the official rules, winners of the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks receive the right to study tuition-free under the Russian Government quota for foreign citizens and stateless persons at eligible Russian higher education institutions funded from the federal budget. Winners have priority when selecting a degree programme at participating universities.

Runners-up in the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks receive the same rights as winners, subject to the availability of places within the quota after winners have confirmed their entitlement.

Eligibility

The Open Doors competition is open to foreign citizens and stateless persons, including compatriots living abroad.

Bachelor’s Track

Applicants must:

Be 16 to 23 years old at the time of registration.
Not hold a Bachelor’s, Specialist’s or Master’s degree.
Have completed, or be completing during the relevant academic year, an educational programme that qualifies them for admission to higher education under the laws of their country.

Master’s Track

Applicants must:

Be 20 to 33 years old at the time of registration.
Not hold a Specialist’s or Master’s degree.
Have completed, or be completing during the relevant academic year, at least a Bachelor’s degree programme.

Doctoral Track

Applicants must:

Be 22 to 35 years old at the time of registration.
Not hold a doctoral degree.
Have completed, or be completing during the relevant academic year, at least a Specialist’s or Master’s degree programme.

Postdoctoral Track

Applicants must:

Be 24 to 39 years old at the time of registration.
Hold a doctoral (PhD or equivalent) degree.

The official languages of the competition are English and Russian.

Available Subject Areas

Applicants can compete in 14 subject areas:

Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence
Biology and Biotechnology
Business and Management
Chemistry and Materials Science
Clinical Medicine and Public Health
Computer and Data Science
Earth and Environmental Sciences for Sustainability
Economics and Econometrics
Education and Psychology
Engineering and Technology
Physical Sciences and Technology
Politics and International Studies
Russian Language and Culture
Urbanism and Civil Engineering.

Deadline

The Open Doors 2027 registration and portfolio submission deadline is 1 November 2026.

Applications/registration open on 20 August 2026.

The key competition dates are:

20 August – 1 November 2026: Registration and portfolio completion.
1 November 2026: Deadline for registration and portfolio submission.
2 – 12 November 2026: First-stage portfolio grading.
13 November 2026: First-stage results announced.
13 – 16 November 2026: Registration for the second stage.
17 November – 7 December 2026: Second-stage tasks for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks.
18 November – 10 December 2026: Second-stage grading.
6 December 2026: Deadline for Postdoctoral participants to upload their video presentations.
11 December 2026: Second-stage results announced for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks.
11 – 13 December 2026: Appeal period for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks.
21 December 2026: Winners and runners-up of the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks announced.
22 December 2026 – 26 February 2027: Third stage for Doctoral and Postdoctoral participants.
26 February 2027: Doctoral and Postdoctoral winners announced.

How to Apply

The Open Doors competition is conducted entirely online through the official Open Doors IT platform. The online competition includes identity verification and monitoring to ensure participants complete the tasks independently.

Stage 1: Registration and Portfolio

From 20 August to 1 November 2026, applicants should:

Visit the official Open Doors website.
Create a participant account.
Select their track and subject area.
Complete their portfolio.
Include their relevant individual achievements.
Complete the entrance test.
Submit a motivation letter.
Complete the portfolio before the 1 November 2026 deadline.

Applicants can work on the portfolio during the registration period. After the registration deadline, they can no longer add to or edit their account information or portfolio.

Stage 2: Competition Tasks

After the first-stage results are released, participants who advance must register for the second stage and select an available time slot.

For the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral tracks, participants complete online tasks of different difficulty levels using online proctoring. Participants are given 180 minutes to complete the tasks according to the published schedule.

Applicants are encouraged to review the programme for their selected subject area and the available sample tasks while preparing.

For the Postdoctoral track, participants prepare and upload a video presentation showcasing their research achievements in their selected subject area.

Stage 3: Doctoral and Postdoctoral Tracks

Participants who advance to the third stage between 22 December 2026 and 26 February 2027 will complete interviews.

Doctoral participants are interviewed by prospective research supervisors.
Postdoctoral participants are interviewed by research project leaders.
Participants must register for the third stage through their personal accounts.
They must select an available interview time according to the schedule.
The third-stage registration deadline is 10 January 2027.

Applicants should use only one account per competition cycle. Creating multiple accounts can result in disqualification.

The competition is free of charge. Applicants can contact the Project Office at opendoors@globaluni.ru or use the feedback form in the Support section for questions about the competition.

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Conclusion

The Open Doors 2027 competition gives international students and researchers an opportunity to study tuition-free or pursue postdoctoral research at leading Russian universities across a wide range of fields.