University olympiad · Fully online · Designed for international students

The RUDN Open Olympiad for International Students

RUDN University

One of the clearest opportunities explicitly designed for international students: the open olympiad of RUDN University (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia) in Moscow — fully online, and winners may study their chosen field on state-funded (federal budget) places once the required procedures are completed — competitive and not guaranteed. Prize-winners get a discount on tuition-based (contract) study.

Official olympiad website ↗ ✈️ Follow on Telegram

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Held every year — and a ready file gets ahead

The new season's dates are confirmed on the official website — we'll add them here as soon as they're officially confirmed. The approximate range, based on a previous cycle in our guide: registration and testing January–March, interviews around April — that's a planning indicator, not an official date. The second stage is an online oral interview with a professor, so preparing early really pays off.

OnlineBoth stages from home

2StagesProblem sets, then an online interview

Many fieldsMedicine, engineering, economics, humanities

Explicitly for internationalsPer the official source

The opportunity

What is the RUDN olympiad?

RUDN University (Peoples' Friendship University of Russia) in Moscow is one of the Russian universities best known for hosting international students — and this olympiad is explicitly designed for them, per the official source: for high-school students, Bachelor's students, and even Bachelor's/Master's graduates — including those already studying in Russia with a foreign citizenship.

The format is fully online: the first stage is solving problems on the olympiad portal at any convenient time, and the second stage is an online interview with a professor at a set time.

The potential prize

What could you gain?

Winners: studying the chosen field on state-funded (federal budget) places in Russia — tied to the government quota per the official source, provided the required procedures are completed.

Prize-winners: a discount on tuition-based (contract) study fees.

Levels: directly suitable for the Bachelor's level (and there is a version for the Master's track too).

As with every olympiad: a strong result opens the door but it is not a guarantee of admission — the final procedures go through the official authorities. And remember: covering tuition ≠ covering living costs.

The path

The stages — step by step

Register on the olympiad portal

Online at olymp.rudn.ru — per the official website, all you need to register is a working email. When registering, you choose your preferred language of participation.

Choose your language and track

The olympiad is officially held in four languages: Russian, English, French and Spanish — you pick one when registering. The tracks are officially split into Bachelor's/Specialist and Master's.

Stage one: solving problems online

On the olympiad portal, at any convenient time within the stage window — from home.

Stage two: a video interview

Per the official website: a video interview via Yandex Telemost, assessing your level of knowledge, your motivation, and your readiness to study — this is the main filtering point.

After winning: uploading admission documents

The winner/prize-winner gathers the enrollment documents and uploads them in their personal account on the portal, per the official website.

The core documents: passport, high-school certificate or proof of enrollment, application form and consent. The exact document requirements should be checked on the official website before applying.

Tracks

Fields of study

Per the official website: RUDN's Bachelor's programs (4 years) and Specialist programs (5 years) cover a wide range — from technical and natural sciences to humanities and medicine, and the olympiad has one list of tracks for Bachelor's/Specialist and one for Master's:

MedicineEngineeringEconomicsHumanitiesNatural sciencesLanguagesAnd other fields — the full list is on the portal

Eligibility

Who can take part?

Explicitly international students, per the official source: high-school students, Bachelor's students, and Bachelor's/Master's graduates — including those studying inside Russia with a foreign citizenship. The detailed rules for each season are on the official website.

Common questions

💬What language is the test in?▾

The official website settles it: the olympiad is held in Russian, English, French and Spanish — you choose your preferred language when registering. (The language of study afterwards depends on your program — confirm it on the program page.)

💬Does winning mean confirmed admission?▾

No — winning leads to the right to state-funded study tied to the government quota, provided you complete the required procedures (gathering the enrollment documents and uploading them in your account), and the final decision rests with the official authorities. Competitive and not guaranteed.

💬What's the most important thing to prepare for?▾

The video interview (stage two) — per the official website it assesses your level of knowledge, your motivation, and your readiness to study. Prepare clear answers about your academic background and why you chose this particular field.

💬I didn't win first place — what do I get?▾

Per the official website: winners get the chance to study within the quota, and prize-winners (призёры) get a substantial discount on tuition-based (contract) study fees at the university.

💬How is this different from the regular quota?▾

In the general quota you apply with your file through the federal portal and selection is by ranking — here you compete in the university's own olympiad, and winning leads to a place tied to the quota. They don't cancel each other out: you can pursue both.

💬Is there another olympiad under the RUDN name I shouldn't confuse this with?▾

Yes, an important warning from our guide: don't confuse this open olympiad (the one designed for international students) with the school olympiads held via RUDN within the Global Universities project — those are two different tracks, and this page is about the open olympiad for international students.

This opportunity is competitive and not guaranteed — the final reference for dates and rules is the official website of the olympiad and the university.

Next step

Get your file ready and watch the dates

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

✈️ Follow on Telegram Official olympiad website ↗