Phystech Olympiad by MIPT
The school-students' olympiad of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (МФТИ) — Physics and Mathematics for students in grades 9 to 11. The qualifying stage is online and the final is held in person. Registration for the 2026/27 season opened on 7 September 2026 at 10:00 Moscow time — and international students are eligible to take part, as stated in the official registration instructions themselves.
Olympiads whose winners and prize-winners may apply for the Russian Government quota — school students' list
Official file (PDF) ↗Registration opened on 7 September 2026 at 10:00 Moscow time. The 7 November 2026 shown in the countdown is the latest registration cut-off in the whole timetable — it belongs to Physics · grade 11 · round 3 only. 🔴 Grades 9 and 10 close considerably earlier (their last round falls in October or early November depending on the subject), and Mathematics runs on different dates from Physics. Find your subject and your grade in the timetable below — that is the date that applies to you.
55 days left until it closes7 November 2026International students are eligible to take part — the organiser confirms this for the 2026/27 edition.
🟢 International students are eligible to take part — confirmed by the official registration instructions. The page "Особенности регистрации на онлайн-этап" on the olympiad site lists the accepted identity documents, and includes a category written explicitly for foreign nationals: "для граждан иностранных государств" — a passport or another valid foreign identity document recognised as such by Russia, a diplomatic passport, or a Russian residence permit for foreign citizens and stateless persons.
🏛️ In addition: Phystech is listed as No. 21 in the official Study in Russia list of school olympiads approved for 2026/27 — the list whose own title restricts it to winners and prize-winners who may compete for study within the Russian Government quota for international citizens and stateless persons. (The green box above rests on both of these.)
🔴 But keep this distinction in mind — it is the most important line on the page: eligibility to participate is one thing, and an admission benefit is another. MIPT's 2026 admission rules ("Порядок предоставления особых прав…") state in clause 7 that the special rights — admission without entrance examinations (БВИ) or 100 points counted for the subject — are granted to Russian citizens and to foreign citizens holding equal rights under international treaties or applicable law. So not every international winner receives those rights automatically. Read "What can winners gain?" below — it is worded exactly as the source words it.
What is the Phystech Olympiad?
A school-students' olympiad run by the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Московский физико-технический институт — МФТИ / MIPT), one of Russia's strongest institutes in physics and mathematics. The official page states that the final stage has been held for students in grades 9–11 for more than 30 years.
It belongs to a wider MIPT system for working with school students — in-person and correspondence olympiads, problem-solving contests, lectures and evening schools — all pointed at one goal: identifying the students best prepared to study at Phystech.
What matters for an applicant: the olympiad is classified in the list of the Russian Council of School Olympiads (РСОШ) — Physics at level 1 and Mathematics at level 2. That classification is what gives winners and prize-winners special rights when applying to many Russian universities — subject to each university's own rules.
What can winners gain?
🔴 Read these four points before building a plan on this:
① This is not an "MIPT scholarship". The olympiad is a competition, and being on the ministry list opens a route to compete for the quota — it is not money paid to you and not a reserved place.
② And winning is not guaranteed admission. How the result may ultimately be used depends on the applicable quota and admission rules, the applicant's legal status, and the university's rules for the relevant year — all of which sit outside the olympiad itself.
③ The БВИ / 100-point rights are not a general rule for every international applicant. MIPT's 2026 admission rules, clause 7, restrict them to Russian citizens and foreign citizens holding equal rights under international treaties or applicable law. If you are an international applicant, ask the admissions office directly about your own case before assuming anything.
④ And even for those who do qualify, further conditions apply: the same rules require an examination result (ЕГЭ or MIPT's own entrance examination) in the subject at or above the set threshold, and the olympiad result must come from the grade 11 olympiad and be no older than 2022 (clause 5 extends this to Phystech winners from grade 10 on the same conditions).
📄 Where every word in this section comes from: the Ministry of Science's school students' list for 2026/27 (the file ОШ 2026_27 утв_школьники.pdf on studyinrussia.ru — entry number 21, organiser "Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology") · the "Льготы при поступлении" page on the olympiad site · and "Засчитываемые олимпиады" on MIPT's admissions portal (pk.mipt.ru) for 2026. All three were read on 7 September 2026.
How to participate
Everything happens on the official olympiad platform, in two steps: first an account, then completing your profile and uploading documents. The point to remember: registration does not count as done until you see the confirmation that your data is complete — participation is guaranteed only to those whose registration was confirmed within the stated dates:
📋 The exact document list appears inside the applicant's own account — review it before submitting. We have added nothing of our own: the official page asks for an identity document, (where applicable) a stamped certificate from the educational institution bearing a photograph, the personal-data processing consent, and a parent's or legal representative's signature for minors — and nothing else.
🔴 Do not register on the last day. The official instructions state plainly that registration takes a considerable amount of time and requires a set of documents, and that participation is guaranteed only to those who received confirmation that registration was completed within the stated dates.
🗓️The official 2026/27 schedule — all times are Moscow time
| Round | Paper date | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|
| First | 4 October 2026 · 10:00 | 3 October · 10:00 |
| Second | 25 October · 08:00 | 24 October · 08:00 |
| Third | 8 November · 10:00 | 7 November · 10:00 |
| Round | Paper date | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|
| First | 4 October 2026 · 10:00 | 3 October · 10:00 |
| Second | 25 October · 08:00 | 24 October · 08:00 |
| Round | Paper date | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|
| First | 11 October 2026 · 10:00 | 10 October · 10:00 |
| Second | 1 November · 08:00 | 31 October · 08:00 |
| Third | 7 November · 10:00 | 6 November · 10:00 |
| Round | Paper date | Registration closes |
|---|---|---|
| First | 11 October 2026 · 10:00 | 10 October · 10:00 |
| Second | 1 November · 08:00 | 31 October · 08:00 |
📄 Source: the official "Отборочный этап 2026/27" page — read 7 September 2026
🧾Exam format — the answer alone is not enough
📄 Source: the "Отборочный этап 2026/27" page and the paper cards on it — 7 September 2026
🇷🇺There is also a Russian Language track — with one caveat
📄 Source: "Отборочный этап 2026/27" + "Об олимпиаде" — both read 7 September 2026
🏛️The 2026/27 final stage
📄 Source: "Заключительный этап 2026/27" and "Об олимпиаде" — read 7 September 2026
🔗The official sources this page is built from
🗓️ Every link here was read live on 7 September 2026 — and the official site is always the final reference
The stages — how you reach the final
Account + profile + documents + a separate registration for each subject. Registration does not count as done until your data is confirmed as complete.
The "Об олимпиаде" page states plainly that the qualifying stage for Physics and Mathematics is the online stage alone. Students in grades 9–11 may enter it, and each subject runs its own independent rounds.
To reach the final in a given subject, you must be a winner or prize-winner in one of that subject's qualifying rounds, under the organiser's rules. Each subject is entirely independent of the other.
A separate procedure: you enter your details, confirm your qualifying result, choose your venue, and receive a registration number and a form.
Physics 13 February · Mathematics 14 February according to the 2026/27 page — and the site warns that the dates may change.
🔴 Two stages, and each subject stands alone. Winning in Physics does not qualify you for the Mathematics final — you have to clear each subject's qualifier yourself. And registration is separate per subject from the very start.
Subjects
The subjects listed in the official 2026/27 timetable:
Can international students participate?
The "Об олимпиаде" page states plainly that students in grades 9–11 may take part in the online qualifying stage, and the official timetable distributes the rounds across all three grades.
The official registration instructions themselves include a document category for "для граждан иностранных государств" and accept a passport, another valid foreign identity document recognised as such by Russia, a diplomatic passport, or a residence permit.
The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's school students' list for 2026/27 — restricted by its own title to the quota for educating international citizens and stateless persons in Russia.
You must upload an identity document from the officially accepted set. If your document carries no photograph, you also upload a stamped certificate from your educational institution bearing your photograph, with the stamp covering part of it.
The personal-data processing consent is signed by the participant, and also by a parent or legal representative if the participant is a minor.
Your eligibility to participate is settled. Using the result in admissions, however, is governed by each university's rules and the quota rules — read the "What can winners gain?" box carefully.
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬I am an international student — can I really take part?
Yes — and this is not an inference; it is written in the official registration instructions.
The "Особенности регистрации на онлайн-этап" page lists the accepted identity documents and includes a category written explicitly for "граждан иностранных государств" — accepting a passport, another valid foreign identity document recognised as such by Russia, a diplomatic passport, or a Russian residence permit for foreign citizens and stateless persons.
On top of that, the olympiad is No. 21 on the Ministry of Science's list for 2026/27, a list whose own title ties it to the quota for educating international citizens and stateless persons in Russia.
💬What exactly is the registration deadline?
There is no single deadline — the answer depends on your subject, your grade and your round.
The 7 November 2026 shown in the countdown above is the latest date in the whole timetable: it belongs to Physics · grade 11 · round 3.
If you are in grade 9 or 10, your last round closes for registration on 24 October in Physics and 31 October in Mathematics. Find your own row in the timetable above.
💬Does winning mean I get into MIPT free of charge?
No. This is the most important question on the page, so here is the full answer.
① Being on the Ministry of Science's list (No. 21) means winners and prize-winners may compete for study in 2026/27 within the Russian Government quota for international citizens and stateless persons. A route to compete — not a place.
② How the result may ultimately be used depends on the applicable quota and admission rules, the applicant's legal status, and the university's rules for the relevant year.
③ And MIPT's own special admission rights (БВИ or 100 points) are restricted by its 2026 rules — clause 7 — to Russian citizens and to foreign citizens holding equal rights under international treaties or applicable law. So it would be wrong to say that any international winner receives them.
④ And even for those who do qualify, the rules require an ЕГЭ or MIPT entrance examination result in the subject at or above the set threshold, with the olympiad result coming from the grade 11 olympiad and being no older than 2022 (clause 5 extends this to Phystech winners from grade 10).
In short: participation is open to you, and the opportunity is officially listed for the quota — but winning does not automatically guarantee admission.
💬Is the qualifier online or in person? And the final?
The qualifier is online; the final is in person.
The "Об олимпиаде" page states plainly that the qualifying stage for Physics and Mathematics is the online stage alone — so you sit it from your own country.
The final is held in person, at venues determined each season, and the olympiad's page says it takes place in many cities. ⚠️ The 2026/27 venues are not yet established on our side: the list currently published on the site is still the 2025/26 one.
💬Do I register once, or before every round?
Separately for each subject — but not for every round.
The official page states two things plainly: • A separate registration is required for each subject (Physics is not Mathematics). • And if your registration is confirmed, you do not need to register again for subsequent rounds in the same subject.
💬Do I just write the final answer?
No — and this is what costs the most marks.
The paper runs for 4 astronomical hours, and once the answer-entry window closes you still have an additional, separate window to upload photographs or scans of your solutions.
The site warns plainly: a problem with the correct answer but no attached solution is scored zero. So this is not simply entering a final answer — you must upload the working itself, in the required form and within the given window.
💬Are these dates final?
No — the timetable is currently published as a preliminary schedule.
The official page heads it "Предварительное расписание", and the final-stage page warns that the dates of both stages may change.
We verified every figure on this page on 7 September 2026 — check the site yourself before each round.
Every figure and quotation on this page is taken from the official olympiad site (olymp-online.mipt.ru), the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's list for 2026/27, and MIPT's admissions portal — all read on 7 September 2026. The timetable is officially published as preliminary and may be changed by the organiser. The olympiad is competitive and winning is not guaranteed, and being on the ministry list opens a route to compete for the quota — it is not a place and not funding; MIPT's special admission rights are governed by its admission rules and their conditions. The official site is always the final reference.
Read it? Start preparing
Know someone this could matter to?
Send it to them — a minute from you could change a year of theirs.
Register early, and find your own row in the timetable
Registration takes time and requires documents, and participation is guaranteed only to those confirmed in time. Identify your subject and grade in the timetable above, and register before your own round — not before the last round in the table.