International competition · Fully online · Master's
«All Roads Lead to MADI»
Moscow Automobile and Road University (MADI)
The Moscow Automobile and Road Construction University (MADI) — Russia's leading university in transport and road specialties. Its international intellectual competition is fully online and aimed at international students and graduates — winners gain the right to tuition-free Master's study, state-funded (federal budget).
Last season's window: January – March (the new one gets confirmed at the source)
From the official timetable for the 2025 season: registration 21 January – 10 March, the qualifying tests 13 March (with 14 March as a reserve day), the winners' lists by 31 March, and the complete document file by 4 April. Sessions start at 10:00 and end at 18:00 Moscow time, and the exact timing is posted on grant.madi.ru at least a day in advance. The new season's dates are updated on the website — we'll add them here as soon as they're confirmed.
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International eligibility
We found official evidence supporting international-student eligibility, but the edition or time scope is not yet clear.
Registration expected: 21 يناير — according to the official source. We'll alert you the moment it's confirmed.
Deadline expected: 10 مارس — according to the official source. We'll alert you the moment it's confirmed.
Can you apply? Read this first
🌍 A rare advantage: MADI publishes an official information file in Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese — and we've read it. The competition's documents page carries all of those versions, and there is a hotline on WhatsApp/Telegram — this is a university that takes international applicants seriously. 🔴 And the most important thing to know before you register: the regulation says you will not be admitted to the qualifying tests at all until you have uploaded, in your personal account, scans of your passport and your education certificate with a notarised Russian translation (a copy of the original if it is in a foreign language). That notarised translation takes time and money — start it now, not after you register. 🎯 And one field only: the regulation says you choose a single direction from the list (unlike other olympiads that allow several) — but the regulation lets you change it at any point before registration closes. ✅ And your registration isn't complete until you receive an email with a username and password for your personal account — sent within a maximum of two days of your application (2.3 · 2.4). And if you register more than once, the one that counts is your first registration. ↳ Open the official documents page and look for «Arab_MADI_Olympiad … Informationprograms» — it also carries the timetable, the list of Master's programmes and the regulation.
An international intellectual competition run by MADI's international service, aimed at foreign citizens, stateless persons and applicants living abroad who are applying to Master's programs within the government quota. The test is online via the grant.madi.ru portal and the Master's track has two stages: (1) portfolio + interview, and (2) a specialist test. The official website itself sums it up in English: «WIN FREE MASTER'S DEGREE TRAINING AT A LEADING RUSSIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY».
Study after winning, according to the official site, is on-campus (очная) and in Russian — and those who need the language get the «Preparatory Faculty» (Подготовительный факультет): a preparatory year of Russian before the Master's, included in the offer.
The potential prize
What could you gain? (one of the strongest offers in this batch)
The right to tuition-free study in a MADI Master's program, state-funded (federal budget) — for winners, per the official source.
Per the official source, this may include a place in the university dormitory and a monthly stipend — no figures are published, and the details come from the university directly.
A free preparatory year of Russian before the Master's for those who need it.
It's a strong offer — but remember the rule: covering tuition ≠ covering full living costs. The stipend and housing (if provided) are no substitute for a real living budget, and winning itself is competitive and not guaranteed.
What the regulation says
📄If you win: the document file — and this is what catches people out
The quota application form · your passport · your education certificate.
A medical certificate of no health contraindications.
An HIV-free certificate.
A certificate of freedom from all types of hepatitis and from tuberculosis.
A 3×4 photo · an Excel form downloaded from your personal account · the data-processing consents.
Anyone who misses the deadline is removed from the winners' list and loses their right to free study — and those medical certificates take time, so start them the moment you know you've won.
📄 Source: the olympiad's official regulation — MADI order No. 784 of 15 September 2023
The path
The stages
1
Register on the competition portal
An account on grant.madi.ru — registration is completely free and the form is filled in in Russian or English. Choose one direction, and make sure you're on the Master's track specifically.
2
Upload your passport and certificate with a notarised translation
🔴 Without this step you will not be admitted to the tests at all. If you are still studying, you upload a document with your latest year's results, stamped by your university — all with a notarised Russian translation.
3
Stage 1: the achievements portfolio + the interview
In your account you upload a motivation letter (mandatory) plus whatever you have: certificates, published research, professional qualifications, participation in competitions, conferences and olympiads, and sporting and artistic achievements. Those the committee selects then have a video interview (Zoom / Teams) lasting a maximum of 30 minutes (5.3 · 5.4) — and your personal link arrives at least a day before.
4
Stage 2: the specialist test
Those who pass the interview take a test in one of two profiles: «Engineering sciences» or «Economics and management», depending on your chosen direction (5.1 · 5.7), marked out of 100. ⚠️ Note: the mathematics test in this competition is for the Bachelor's track only (3.3 · 4.2) — not for the Master's track.
5
Results, appeals and the document file
Your result arrives by email and appears in your account, and the ranked lists are published on the site (6.2 · 6.3). An appeal is sent to [email protected]no later than the day after your result is announced and is reviewed within two working days — and note that your mark can go up or down, and appeals against the assessment criteria themselves are not accepted.
📌 The core documents for most Master's olympiads: proof of a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Russian or English, or with a certified translation — the exact list comes from the official website.
Tracks
Fields
MADI's fields:
TransportRoadsEngineeringEconomicsand related specialties
Eligibility
Who can take part?
International students and graduates, stateless persons and those living abroad — applying to Master's programs within the government quota, per the official source.
Common questions
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬Is there really housing and a monthly stipend?▾
Per the official source, the winners' right to free study may include a place in the university dormitory and a monthly stipend — no figures are published, and the final details are confirmed with the university at admission time. Don't build your budget on them: covering tuition ≠ covering living costs.
💬I don't know Russian — what do I do?▾
The language of the olympiad and of study is Russian (study is on-campus per the official site), but the offer includes the «Preparatory Faculty»: a preparatory language year before the Master's for those who need it.
💬What is the test about?▾
For the Master's track: two stages — a portfolio plus a video interview (30 minutes maximum), then a test in «Engineering sciences» or «Economics and management» depending on your direction, marked out of 100. ⚠️ Note: the mathematics test in this competition is for the Bachelor's track only — not the Master's (Regulation §3.3, §4.2, §5.1).
💬What is the interview like?▾
Online by video (Zoom or Microsoft Teams per the regulation), lasting a maximum of 30 minutes, and your personal link with the date and time of your interview arrives by email at least a day in advance. Be ready to talk about your motivation letter and your project — the interview is what decides who moves on to the test.
💬What if I have no certificates or research?▾
The motivation letter is the only mandatory item in the achievements portfolio — everything else (certificates, research, participations, sporting and artistic achievements) is “where available” in the regulation's own words. So having no research doesn't shut you out, but a strong motivation letter makes a difference.
💬Can I choose more than one field?▾
No — one direction only at registration. But you can change it at any time from your personal account before registration closes, so take your time comparing.
💬What if I contact them in Arabic?▾
MADI has a hotline on WhatsApp/Telegram/Viber at +7-917-512-85-45, an email [email protected], and a Telegram channel t.me/grantmadi — and the official Arabic file gives you all of it. The official correspondence languages are Russian/English, but having the Arabic file and the channel makes it much easier.
💬How is it different from applying through the regular quota?▾
The general quota is a file-based selection through the federal portal — here you earn your place through the university's own competition (and the offer is clearer: free study that may include housing and a stipend, per the source). They don't cancel each other out — you can pursue both in parallel.
The opportunity is competitive and not guaranteed. The clause numbers on this page come from the «РЕГЛАМЕНТ» approved by MADI order no. 784 of 15 September 2023 — the most recent published version we could find (read 27 July 2026). So the procedures are most likely unchanged, but the dates shift every season — the final reference is grant.madi.ru.
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