Open Doors Russian Scholarship 2027/28 for International Students

Open Doors is an international competition run by a consortium of leading Russian universities. Winners and runners-up study tuition-free within a quota set by the Russian government, which makes it one of the few routes to a funded degree in Russia that does not depend on a home-country nomination.

Who can apply

The competition is open to applicants of all nationalities. Places are offered at undergraduate, Masters, PhD and postdoctoral level, so the same competition serves school leavers and established researchers alike. The subject range is unusually wide: mathematics, computer science and IT, natural sciences, business and management, health and medicine, economics, education, engineering, environment and climate, public policy and governance, and humanities are all covered. Universities teach in Russian or in English depending on the institution, so a candidate without Russian is not automatically excluded, but the teaching language of the specific programme should be checked before choosing it.

What the award covers

The scholarship covers tuition fees and provides a monthly stipend. It does not cover anything else. Transportation, food, accommodation, communication services and medical insurance all remain the student's responsibility, and that gap is the most common reason applicants underestimate what the offer really costs them. Budget for it before accepting a place.

Deadline and how it works

Registration opened in August and closes on 1 November 2026. After this deadline participants can no longer add to or edit their account information or portfolios, so a portfolio left half-finished at the cut-off stays half-finished. The competition runs in stages after registration, and candidates are assessed on the materials held in their account.

Before you register

Decide on the subject track and the teaching language first, then build the portfolio around that choice. Because editing stops at the deadline, treat the closing date as the day everything must already be complete, not the day to begin.