The “Izumrud.Student” Olympiad
An international student olympiad run by Ural Federal University (UrFU) in Yekaterinburg, for Bachelor's/Specialist students and graduates. It runs in two stages: an online qualifier and an in-person final. The 2026/27 cycle is open and the door stays open until 19 January 2027 — taking part earns you points when applying to a UrFU Master's, and winning opens wider routes; read on.
An extra benefit for the Master's track: winners and prize-winners may apply through the Russian Government quota path for Master's programs 2026/27 — subject to the list's and the quota's conditions
Official file (PDF) ↗The 2026/27 cycle has already started. Submit your application and sit the online qualifying stage at any point within this window; then, on 20 – 24 January 2027, choose your final-stage city and upload your documents, and the in-person final runs 30 January – 2 February 2027.
128 days left until it closes19 January 2027International students are eligible to take part — the organiser confirms this for the 2026/27 edition.
🌍 If you are an international student: the official regulation opens participation to Bachelor's and Specialist students and to higher-education graduates “regardless of place of residence and citizenship” — so your eligibility to take part is settled and written down, not inferred.
🎖️ And about the quota: the current official source says winners and prize-winners may become candidates for a quota to study in Russia — subject to the official conditions and procedures. That is a competitive nomination, not a guaranteed place, and not a promise of any particular university.
🎓 And the most direct, best-documented gain: extra points when applying to a UrFU Master's — +5 points for the qualifying stage and +10 points for the final stage, subject to how the points are applied and to the programme you apply for.
↳ The exact wording and conditions are on the official page — check them before you build a plan around this.
What is this olympiad?
An international student olympiad run by Ural Federal University (УрФУ) in Yekaterinburg. Per the official page's own description, it is held across Russia and the countries of the “near abroad”, for Bachelor's and Specialist students and graduates (бакалавриат/специалитет).
It splits into two stages: a qualifier (отборочный) held online and remotely, and a final (заключительный) held in person on paper at a set venue. Between the two, a “passing score” (проходной балл) is published for each subject area, and whoever clears it picks the city where they'll sit the final.
⚠️ Mind the difference: UrFU also runs an olympiad called “Izumrud” without the word “Student” — that one is for school students (years 8–11 and СПО students) and leads to a Bachelor's, with completely different benefits. This page is about “Izumrud.Student” only.
👯 “Izumrud.Студент” is not “Izumrud” — don't mix them up:
🎓 “Izumrud.Студент” (this page) = university students and graduates (Bachelor's/Specialist) ⇐ a route towards a Master's.
🎒 “Izumrud” = school students (years 8–11 and СПО students) ⇐ a route towards a Bachelor's, and it has its own page here.
Both are run by the same university and share almost the same date window — but the benefits and admission rules are completely different. (There is a third one, “Izumrud.Дебют”, with no page here.)
What do you gain?
This is a competitive contest with no guarantee. Every benefit above is conditional: the points apply “subject to the conditions and the programme”, entry without an entrance exam is subject to the university's terms, and the quota is a competitive nomination decided by the ministry — not a reserved place. The scholarship figure quoted is a 2025/26 one and is not a promise for the current season. The exact wording is on the official page.
📄 So where do these benefits come from? From the olympiad's official page on the dovuz.urfu.ru portal and the Ministry of Science's list — not from the olympiad's regulation. We read both governing documents in full, and neither mentions the quota, budget places, or admission at all. What they do state: a diploma for winners and prize-winners, and a participation certificate for those who reach the final.
🎯 This doesn't mean the claim is false — the university does admit students on the quota, and the olympiad really is on the ministry's list. It means the promise has no basis in the document that governs. ⇒ Email the admissions committee at [email protected] and ask for written confirmation before you build on it.
How do you apply?
The application steps exactly as described on the official page for the 2026/27 cycle (re-verified 7 September 2026):
📌 An important tip from the official page itself: rely on the published passing score, not on an invitation email. The organisers do send invitations by email but state outright that this is not a reliable channel (spam filters plus list-export mismatches). If you cleared the passing score, come and take part.
⚠️ And if you don't choose your city of participation in time, places in some cities may run out — the official page says the participant then sits the final in Yekaterinburg.
👥Who can take part
📄 Source: the olympiad's official regulation — 2026 season edition
🗓️How you take part
📄 Source: the olympiad's regulation and its operating rules — both 2026 season editions
🏛️Final day
📄 Source: the olympiad's operating rules — 2026 season edition
⚠️Things to watch out for
📄 Source: the olympiad's regulation and its operating rules — both 2026 season editions
The official timetable — the 2026/27 cycle
1 September 2026 – 19 January 2027. Enter your details, choose one or more subject areas, and sit the qualifying tests online — 60 minutes and one attempt per area.
20 – 24 January 2027: choose the final's city for each area you qualified in, and upload your admission documents. Document upload stays open until 30 January, per the final-stage page.
30 January – 2 February 2027 — with your ID on you. If you don't choose a city in time, places may run out and you sit the final in Yekaterinburg.
20 March 2027 at 12:00 Yekaterinburg time — see how each question was marked and appeal a specific question if you need to.
27 March 2027 — your place in the final lists.
A winner's or prize-winner's diploma is available in your personal account until 20 June 2027.
📌 This timetable is taken from the “How the olympiad runs in the 2026/27 academic year” section on dovuz.urfu.ru/olymps/izumrud-student/ — re-verified live on 7 September 2026.
🗄️ For historical comparison only: in the 2025/26 season (now finished) registration ran 1 September 2025 – 18 January 2026. We no longer reproduce that season's full timetable, so it can't be misread as the current cycle's dates.
📜 The regulation fixes a wider annual window (1 September – 1 April) — but the dates to rely on are the ones above, which are the ones in the annual “Регламент” on the olympiad's page.
The five subject areas
The areas exactly as announced on the official page:
Who can take part?
🎓 The official 2026 regulation opens participation to three groups: • Bachelor's programme students • Specialist (специалитет) programme students • Graduates of higher-education institutions 🌍 And all of that “regardless of place of residence and citizenship” — the regulation's literal wording. So it is not restricted to UrFU students, nor to a particular year of study such as “third and fourth year only”. 📍 The olympiad is held in Russia and in countries of the “near abroad” — and the announced venues for the final stage in the 2025/26 season were in Russian cities plus Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. ⚠️ So, plainly: if you're outside those countries, the final stage is in person and you have to budget travel and a visa into your plan. Only the qualifying stage is online. The 2026/27 venues are published in the “choose your city of participation” section — check them before you choose.
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬What's the difference between “Izumrud” and “Izumrud.Student”?
They're two completely different olympiads from the same university. “Izumrud” (izumrud.urfu.ru) is for school students in years 8–11 and leads to admission benefits for a Bachelor's. “Izumrud.Student” — the one this page is about — is for Bachelor's students and graduates and leads to a Master's. The timetables are different, so make sure you're reading the right page.
💬What exactly are the 2026/27 dates?
The cycle is open now, and this is the timetable published on the official page:
• Application + the online qualifier: 1 September 2026 – 19 January 2027
• Choosing the final's city + uploading documents: 20 – 24 January 2027 (admission documents until 30 January)
• The in-person final: 30 January – 2 February 2027
• Marked paper and appeals: 20 March 2027 at 12:00 Yekaterinburg time
• Results: 27 March 2027 · the diploma stays in your personal account until 20 June 2027
💬I'm not in Russia — can I take part?
Yes. The regulation says outright “regardless of place of residence and citizenship”, and the qualifying stage is online, so you can do it from anywhere. But the final stage is in person, and the announced venues in 2025/26 were in Russian cities and in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. So if you're outside those countries you have to budget travel and a visa. Check this cycle's venues in the “choose your city of participation” section.
💬Does winning mean a guaranteed free Master's?
No. The olympiad is competitive. What the current official source does state:
• Winners and prize-winners may enter a funded place on a UrFU Master's without an entrance exam, and the result is valid for two years.
• And the international participants among them may become candidates for the government quota to study in Russia, subject to the official conditions and procedures.
🔴 The quota is a competitive nomination, not a reserved place — the final decision rests with the ministry, and admission with the university's committee. Winning opens the door, and that's all.
💬How much is the scholarship?
The official page says winners receive a raised scholarship, and states that its value in the 2025/26 season was 10,000 ₽ a month.
⚠️ That figure is the 2025/26 one, exactly as written in the source — and the 2026/27 amount has not been announced in those terms so far. So don't plan against it as if it were this year's number.
💬I'm still in my third year of a Bachelor's — should I enter now or wait?
Participation itself is open to Bachelor's and Specialist students and to graduates, with no year-of-study condition in the regulation, so you can enter now.
But using the admission benefits is naturally tied to when you apply for a Master's — and the current source says a winner's result is valid for two years, which is what gives you room to enter early and use the result once you graduate. Ask the admissions committee about your exact case.
Everything here is taken from the official page dovuz.urfu.ru/olymps/izumrud-student/ — re-verified live on 7 September 2026 after the 2026/27 cycle opened. The olympiad is competitive and not guaranteed: the points and admission benefits are conditional on how they are applied and on the programme, the quota is a competitive nomination decided by the ministry, not a reserved place, and the scholarship figure quoted (10,000 ₽) is a 2025/26 one, not this season's. Conditions and venues change every season — the official page is always the final reference.
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The qualifier is online and you can sit it at any point in the window — but it's 60 minutes and one attempt per area, with no retakes. Open the official page and start, and if you sign up with us we'll send you an alert on any update.