2026/2027 cycle Registration opens in 4 days Next up: Registration opens and Stage 1 begins · 20 August 2026

You won — what next?

Bachelor's

You upload your documents to the ministry's system, choose your language of instruction and a single subject, and rank up to 6 universities in order of preference. You can use your entitlement either in the same year or the following one.

Master's

PhD

You choose a university and a supervisor from among those who have confirmed their willingness to accept you, and you enter in the quota form the research specialisation agreed with your supervisor.

You can defer for a year, but only on condition that you attend interviews for the following year and obtain confirmation of supervision.

Postdoc

You choose a university from among those whose project leaders agreed to employ you, and you inform the organisers of your decision from your account.

Instructions for the next steps reach your account and your email within 10 days of the winners' list being published.

Covered / Not covered / Depends on the university

Covered

Tuition fees Covered in full by the Russian federal budget for the whole duration of the programme, if you obtain the right to study under the quota.
A monthly stipend It's paid to students under the quota. Its value differs from one university to another, and Open Doors doesn't publish a single official figure — the official website advises you to contact the university you choose to find out the amount there.
The monthly stipend — the part nobody tells you
Open Doors doesn't publish an official figure for the monthly stipend, and states that its value differs between universities and that you should ask yours.
We're not going to stay quiet about this, because our silence lets students imagine a figure far larger than the reality.
Based on students' actual experience, the monthly stipend under the government quota is usually somewhere around 2,500 to 5,000 roubles a month — a token amount by Russian standards, not a living income. It won't cover your rent or your food.
⚠️ These figures are estimates drawn from students' experience, not an officially published number, and they vary by university, study level and year. Ask your university for the exact figure.
The practical conclusion: plan on the basis that you'll need another source of funding to live on — family, work or savings. The stipend is a supplement, not a foundation.

The figure comes from students' experience, not from a published official source. Open Doors officially states that the value varies by university.
Competition entry fees There are no fees at all — not for registration, not for the exam, not for anything. Anyone asking you for money to "register" you for Open Doors is running a scam.
The Russian language preparatory year If you need to learn Russian before your programme, the preparatory faculty is covered by the federal budget. Once you complete it at the required level, your place on the Russian-language programme is secured.

Not covered

Accommodation Accommodation is at your own expense. Most universities have affordable halls of residence, with details published on their websites — but they aren't free.
Travel tickets Your outbound and return flights are entirely at your own expense.
Food and day-to-day living Food, transport and everyday expenses are all on you.
Medical insurance Medical insurance is required in Russia and is at your own expense. Ask your university about the details and the cost before you travel.
Phone and internet Your phone line and internet are on you.
Personal expenses Any other personal costs — clothes, books, domestic travel and so on — are on you.

Depends on the university

Additional financial support from the Russian government There is financial support separate from the ordinary monthly stipend. Winners and runners-up are entitled to apply for it, and holders of "high achievement" status may be considered subject to a letter of recommendation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Rossotrudnichestvo. In both cases there's a core condition: that you're prepared to study full-time in Russian. So if you'll be studying on an English-language programme, this support doesn't apply to you. The regulations state neither the value of the support nor how to apply for it — you'll need to follow the official source.
Runner-up entitlements Runners-up in the Bachelor's and Master's tracks may receive the same entitlements as winners — subject to places remaining in the quota after winners have confirmed theirs. A real achievement, then, but not a guaranteed ticket.
Priority in choosing your programme A winner has priority in choosing their programme at the organising universities — provided they can show command of the language of instruction. The receiving university is the one that assesses your level at enrolment. "Priority" is not "guarantee".
Working while you study You're permitted to work in Russia, whether online or on-site, without a work permit. Most universities help with finding opportunities, and some offer jobs on campus.

Carry on from here

The Open Doors grant — what you actually receive if you win

A full page on the three-party grant agreement and the details of what you actually receive if you win.

The grant page The Open Doors opportunity page

We check every detail against the official source before publishing.

Official source · last reviewed: 15 August 2026 · Open the official source ↗