International olympiad · Master's · Free for international applicants

The HSE Master's Olympiad «Высшая лига»

HSE University

The Master's track of HSE University's international olympiad — «Высшая лига» ("Higher League"): dozens of fields matching HSE's Master's programs, open free of charge to international students and graduates — winners and prize-winners join state-funded (budget) places without entrance exams.

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The new season's dates haven't been announced yet

The exact 2026/27 dates have not been announced yet — they're published on the olympiad's official website, and we'll add them here as soon as they're officially confirmed.

Dozens of fieldseconomics, management, law, IT...

2online stagesqualifying, then a proctored final

Freefor internationals in or outside Russia

Onlinefrom the participant's personal account

The opportunity

What is the «Высшая лига» olympiad?

HSE's international olympiad, Master's track — dozens of fields and tracks (economics, management, law, linguistics, IT, mathematics...) matching the Master's programs of HSE University.

Open to international students and graduates living abroad or inside Russia, free of charge — in two online stages: a qualifying round (tests), then a final with mandatory proctoring in the personal account. The official page for international applicants also describes it as a "compatibility test" with HSE's Master's programs — meaning even participation itself shows you which program you're suited for.

The potential prize

What could you gain?

Joining state-funded (budget) places at HSE without entrance exams — for international winners and prize-winners, in the Master's programs matching the olympiad's fields.

Dozens of fields — a real chance to find the program that matches you.

Participation is completely free.

Don't confuse it with the «МОМ» olympiad for young people (Bachelor's level) — this one is specifically the Master's track. And joining state-funded (budget) places is subject to results and procedures, and not guaranteed. Covering tuition ≠ covering living costs.

The path

The stages

Register for one of the fields

Per the official page: participation starts with registering for one of the fields — all the information about fields and tracks is in the participant's personal account on olymp.hse.ru/ma.

The online qualifying round

Tests in your field — review the task format on the website and try any available demos.

The proctored final

Mandatory, in the personal account — set up a computer, camera, microphone and stable internet.

After the results: the international applicant's account

Per the official page: international winners and prize-winners continue through the «personal account of the international Master's applicant» to join the programs matching their fields.

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

The fields

Dozens of fields matching HSE's Master's programs — the main areas:

EconomicsManagementLawLinguisticsInformation technologyMathematicsand many more

Eligibility

Who can take part?

International students and graduates — living abroad or inside Russia — applying to HSE's Master's programs, free of charge per the official source.

Common questions

💬In which language is the test?▾

Mostly Russian, with some olympiads in English — check the official website for your field before building your study plan.

💬How is it different from the HSE olympiad for young people?▾

«МОМ» is aimed at school students (Bachelor's level), while «Высшая лига» is the Master's track — for Bachelor's students and graduates. We have a page for each.

💬I'm inside Russia — can I take part?▾

Yes — the official page is explicit: open to international students living in foreign countries or inside the Russian Federation.

💬How is it different from the regular quota?▾

Here international winners and prize-winners get the chance to join state-funded (budget) places at HSE without entrance exams — a direct university path, not the federal portal's selection. The two don't cancel each other out.

The opportunity is competitive and not guaranteed — the new season's dates are published on the official website, so follow it and follow us.

Next step

Match your field to your program and prepare your documents

As soon as the new season's dates are confirmed, you'll get an alert on the channel right away.

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