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Rules of Participation in the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project of the Global Universities Association, 2026
The section contains the rules of the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project, the evaluation criteria and some recommendations. This material will help you to develop an effective preparation strategy. Please take note of the key dates to ensure that no important stage is overlooked. Now is the time to act — make the most of your potential.
- General Information
- Registration
- First Stage
- Second Stage
- Third Stage of the Doctoral and Postdoctoral Tracks
- Announcement of the Open Doors Results
1. The Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project of the Global Universities Association (hereinafter, the “Open Doors”) is held in the following tracks: the Bachelor’s track, the Master’s track, the Doctoral track (equivalent to PhD), and the Postdoctoral track.
2. All official information related to the organization and conduct of the Open Doors (documents governing the organization and conduct of the Open Doors, preparation materials, results of the competition, etc.) is published on the official website at http://od.globaluni.ru (hereinafter, the “Open Doors website”) in Russian and English.
3. Foreign citizens and stateless persons, including compatriots residing abroad, who consent to the processing of their personal data are eligible to participate in the Open Doors (hereinafter referred to as “Participants”).
Applicants are eligible to participate in the Bachelor’s track of the Open Doors provided, as of the registration opening date, they are between 16 and 23 years of age; do not hold a Bachelor’s, Specialist, or Master’s degree; and hold, or are due to obtain during the academic year in which the Open Doors is held, an educational qualification that makes them eligible for admission to a higher education institution under the national legislation of the country in which they study.
Applicants aged between 20 and 33 as of the registration opening date are eligible to participate in the Master’s track of the Open Doors, provided they do not hold a Specialist or Master’s degree and hold, or are due to obtain during the academic year in which the Open Doors is held, an educational qualification corresponding to at least a Bachelor’s degree.
Applicants aged between 22 and 35 as of the registration opening date are eligible to participate in the Doctoral track of the Open Doors, provided they have not completed a doctoral (PhD) degree program and hold, or are due to obtain during the academic year in which the Open Doors is held, a Specialist or Master’s degree.
Applicants aged between 24 and 39 are eligible to participate in the Postdoctoral track of the Open Doors, provided, as of the registration opening date, they hold a Candidate of Sciences, Doctor of Sciences, or PhD degree.
4. The official languages of the Open Doors are Russian and English.
5. The Open Doors is held in subject areas comprising several fields of study. A field of study is understood as a set of educational programs at a given level of higher education that have a common foundation in fundamental academic training.
6. Based on the results of the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project, a participant may be awarded one of the following statuses: “Open Doors winner” (all tracks), “Open Doors runner-up” (Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks), or “Participant who completed the Open Doors with high achievements” (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks).
7. Winners of the Open Doors in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks are granted the right to study in the Russian Federation within the quota established by the Government of the Russian Federation for the education of foreign citizens and stateless persons, including compatriots residing abroad (hereinafter referred to as the “Quota”). They are entitled to study at higher education institutions of the Russian Federation, with tuition funded from the federal budget, under higher education programs and in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. Winners have priority in selecting a degree program at member universities of the Global Universities Association and other universities involved in organizing the Open Doors (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Organizing Universities”), subject to providing documentary evidence of proficiency in the chosen language of instruction. Language proficiency is confirmed or assessed by the admitting higher education institution at the time of enrollment.
8. If additional Russian-language training is required, winners of the Open Doors in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks are entitled to study at the preparatory faculty of a higher education institution under supplementary general education programs designed to prepare them for degree programs taught in Russian. The preparatory program is funded from the federal budget, and winners are guaranteed a place in a Russian-taught degree program, provided they demonstrate the required level of Russian-language proficiency upon completing the program.
9. Runners-up of the Open Doors in the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks may be granted the same rights as winners, subject to the availability of places within the Quota after the winners have confirmed their entitlement.
10. Winners in the Postdoctoral track of Open Doors are offered a research position at an Organizing University.
11. Winners of the Open Doors confirm their intention to study at a Russian university (for the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks) or to accept an offer of employment at a Russian university (for the Postdoctoral track) by submitting the required documents through their participant account on the Open Doors IT platform (hereinafter referred to as the “Participant Account”) within the time specified therein. Runners-up in the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks confirm their intention to study at a Russian university in the same manner.
12. Winners of the Open Doors in the Bachelor’s and Master’s tracks may exercise their right to admission within the Quota either in the year in which the Open Doors is held or in the year following the award of winner status. Winners in the Doctoral track may exercise this right under the same conditions, provided that they participate in interviews with prospective research supervisors for the following academic year and obtain confirmation from a supervisor willing to provide research supervision.
13. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who are winners or runners-up of the Open Doors in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral track are eligible to apply for grant support from the Government of the Russian Federation in accordance with Resolution No. 1837 of the Government of the Russian Federation dated November 20, 2025, and Order No. 922 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation dated November 28, 2025, provided they have obtained the right to study within the Quota and are prepared to undertake full-time study in Russian.
14. Participants in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks who have completed the Open Doors with higher achievements may be considered for grant support from the Government of the Russian Federation, provided they have obtained the right to study within the Quota; are prepared to undertake full-time study in Russian in the Russian Federation; and submit a letter of recommendation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation or the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation.
15. The Open Doors is conducted online through the Open Doors IT platform, accessible via the Open Doors website. The online format includes identity verification and monitoring to ensure independent completion of Open Doors tasks.
16. The number and content of the Open Doors stages vary by track:
The Bachelor’s track comprises two stages: the First Stage, a portfolio competition; and the Second (Final) Stage, completion of the Open Doors tasks.
The Master’s track comprises two stages: the First Stage, a portfolio competition; and the Second (Final) Stage, completion of the Open Doors tasks.
The Doctoral track comprises three stages: the First Stage, a portfolio competition; the Second Stage, completion of the Open Doors tasks; and the Third (Final) Stage, interviews with prospective research supervisors and/or Doctoral Track managers.
The Postdoctoral track comprises three stages: the First Stage, a portfolio competition; the Second Stage, a competition based on video presentations of participants’ research results; and the Third (Final) Stage, interviews with research project leaders.
17. No fee is charged for participation in the Open Doors.
18. The Open Doors Project Office provides clarification on matters relating to the organization and administration of the Open Doors. Participants may contact the Project Office by email at opendoors@globaluni.ru or via the feedback form in the “Support” section on the official Open Doors homepage. Participants must observe generally accepted standards of communication when submitting inquiries. If a participant uses insulting, obscene, profane, or otherwise offensive language contrary to generally accepted moral and ethical standards, communication with that participant will be terminated, and any subsequent inquiries will not be considered.
19. To participate in the Open Doors, applicants must complete online registration by clicking “Registration” on the Open Doors website. Upon successful registration, participants are granted access to their participant account.
20. Registration for the Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral tracks is open from August 20 to November 1, 2026.
21. During registration, participants create an account by providing their surname, given name or names, sex, date of birth, citizenship, email address, and telephone number; selecting their subject areas, tracks, and language of participation; consenting to the processing of their personal data in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation; and accepting responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided. If a participant provides false or inaccurate information, they may be disqualified at any stage of the Open Doors, and any status awarded to the participant on the basis of the Open Doors results will be revoked following the publication of the results.
22. A participant may register for and participate in the Open Doors only once during a given competition year and may hold only one account. A violation of this rule may result in disqualification at any stage of the Open Doors, and any status awarded on the basis of the Open Doors results may be revoked after the results have been finalized.
23. Registered participants are granted access to information on the portfolio structure and applicable evaluation criteria.
24. The First Stage of the Open Doors is held from August 20 to November 13, 2026. The portfolio competition is conducted separately for the Bachelor’s and Postdoctoral tracks and jointly for the Master’s and Doctoral tracks.
25. During the First Stage, participants complete their portfolio through their participant account by taking the entry test, writing a motivation letter, providing information about personal achievements relevant to the selected subject area in the designated portfolio fields, and uploading supporting documents. All supporting documents must be issued in Russian or English. Documents issued in any other language must be accompanied by a translation into the language selected for participation in the Open Doors.
26. All text fields in the portfolio must be completed in one of the official languages of the Open Doors.
27. By the registration deadline, each participant must upload a scanned copy of the passport they intend to use for identification in the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the “Passport”). The surname, given name(s), date of birth, and citizenship entered in the participant’s account must correspond exactly to the information in the passport. The participant’s surname and given name(s) must be entered exactly as they appear in the passport’s machine-readable zone. After the registration deadline, account details may be amended only on the basis of a written request from the participant, supported by documents demonstrating the need for the requested amendments.
28. Participants may submit their portfolio at any time before registration closes.
29. The results of the First Stage are published in the participant account. Portfolio evaluation results are not subject to appeal.
30. The Second Stage of the Open Doors is held from November 13 to December 21, 2026.
31. The lists of participants admitted to the Second Stage are published on the subject area pages of the Open Doors website on November 13, 2026. Information indicating whether a participant has advanced to the Second Stage is also posted in their participant account.
32. For the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks, the Second Stage is conducted in a proctored mode, in accordance with the published schedule, using special software for identity verification and monitoring participants’ independent completion of the tasks. The participant’s computer desktop and webcam feed will be recorded continuously throughout the Second Stage. The procedures governing the Second Stage for these tracks will be available in the participant account.
33. The schedule for completing the Second Stage tasks in each subject area of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks is published on the Open Doors website and in the participant account. The dates scheduled for different subject areas may coincide. Participants are allotted 180 minutes to complete the Second Stage tasks. Each participant must select an available time slot in their participant account and register for it.
34. To prepare for completing the tasks in the proctored mode, participants admitted to the Second Stage in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks must review the Second Stage procedures in their participant account. Participants must ensure a stable internet connection (without interruptions throughout Stage Two) with an internet connection speed of at least 1 Mbit/s. To verify the technical readiness of their equipment, participants may try out the proctoring system in test mode.
35. On the scheduled date and time, participants in the Second Stage of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks must log in to their participant account and complete the identity verification procedure using a webcam and the passport, a scanned copy of which was uploaded during registration. Participants who fail to complete identity verification cannot advance to the Second Stage.
36. Upon successful completion of identity verification, participants in the Second Stage of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks are granted access to the written-response tasks and the number of points awarded for each task. Participants have 175 minutes to complete the written-response tasks. They may complete the tasks in any order and revise their answers until the time expires.
37. After completing the written-response tasks, participants in the Second Stage of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks complete an oral-response task. Participants have five minutes to complete this task.
38. Upon expiry of the time allotted for the Second Stage tasks, the Open Doors IT platform automatically terminates the participant’s access to the tasks. Only answers submitted before the allotted time expires are accepted for assessment.
39. In the event of a technical failure involving either the participant’s computer or the Open Doors IT platform during the completion of the Second Stage tasks, the participant must report the failure to the Project Office within 24 hours of its occurrence.
40. The results of the Second Stage for the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks are published in the participant account.
41. A participant in the Second Stage of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral track who disagrees with the score awarded for an advanced-level written-response task may submit an appeal within two days after the score is published in the participant account. The appeal will be reviewed within five days after submission. The appeal must clearly identify the grounds for appeal, including the specific question or section of the completed advanced-level task being challenged, and provide a reasoned justification for the participant’s disagreement with the score awarded. The participant’s arguments must refer exclusively to the answers provided in the submitted work. The content and structure of the written-response tasks, the criteria used to assess them, the assessment of the oral-response task, and any sanctions imposed for violations of the Rules of Participation are not subject to appeal. Following review of an appeal, the original score may be upheld, increased, or reduced. The participant will be informed of the reasons for the rejection of the appeal or for any adjustment to the score. The outcome of the appeal is posted in the participant account. The decision to change or uphold the participant’s score for the Open Doors tasks is final, and no further appeal may be submitted.
42. The Second Stage of the Postdoctoral track involves the assessment of participants’ video presentations of their research achievements. The results of the assessment are posted in the participant’s account and are not subject to appeal.
43. The Third Stage of the Open Doors is held from December 22, 2026, to February 26, 2027, in the form of online interviews (hereinafter referred to as “Interviews”).
44. The lists of participants admitted to the Third Stage of the Doctoral and Postdoctoral tracks are published on the subject area pages of the Open Doors website on December 21, 2026. Participants are notified in their accounts of whether they have advanced to the Third Stage.
45. A participant in the Third Stage may attend up to six interviews:
in the Doctoral track, up to three interviews with prospective research supervisors and up to three interviews with Doctoral Track managers;
in the Postdoctoral track, up to six interviews with research project leaders.
46. The schedule of Third Stage interviews is posted in the participant account.
47. Before the interview, participants in the Third Stage must complete an identity verification procedure using a webcam and the passport, a scanned copy of which they uploaded during registration. Participants who fail to complete the identity verification procedure will not be permitted to attend the online interview.
48. During the online interview, the participant must ensure an Internet connection speed of at least 256 Kbit/s. In the event of a technical failure of either the participant’s computer or the Open Doors IT platform during the interview, the participant must report the failure to the Project Office within 24 hours of its occurrence.
49. The Doctoral-track interview assesses the participant’s readiness to conduct research on a specific topic under the guidance of a prospective research supervisor, as well as their eligibility for admission to a doctoral program at an Organizing University.
50. The Postdoctoral-track interview assesses the participant’s ability to contribute to a specific research project and their suitability for appointment to a research position within the project.
51. The results of the Third Stage interviews are final and are not subject to appeal.
52. Winners and runners-up in the Bachelor's and Master's tracks are the participants with the highest scores on the ranked lists compiled separately for each subject area within each track, based on the results of the Second (Final) Stage.
53. Participants in the Doctoral track are designated as winners if, following the Third Stage, at least one prospective research supervisor agrees to supervise their research or at least one Doctoral Track manager recommends them for admission to a doctoral program.
54. Participants in the Postdoctoral track are designated as winners if, following the Third Stage, at least one research project leader agrees to employ them as a postdoctoral researcher on a research project.
55. Participants in the Second (Final) Stage of the Bachelor’s or Master’s track who are not designated as winners or runners-up are awarded the status of “participant who completed the Open Doors with high achievements” if they obtain at least 50 percent of the score achieved by the highest-ranked participant in the relevant subject area and track.
56. Participants in the Third (Final) Stage of the Doctoral track who are not designated as winners shall be awarded the status of “participant who completed the Open Doors with high achievements” if they obtain at least 50 percent of the score achieved by the highest-ranked participant in the relevant subject area and track.
57. The lists of winners, runners-up, and participants who have completed the Open Doors with high achievements are published on the official Open Doors website.
58. Winners, runners-up, and participants who have completed the Open Doors with high achievements receive an electronic Open Doors certificate which is sent to their participant accounts.
59. To exercise their right to admission within the Quota (see Clauses 6 and 7), winners and runners-up in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral tracks must submit the documents required to register international applicants in the Information System of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation at https://russia-edu.minobrnauki.gov.ru/ (hereinafter referred to as the “Ministry’s Information System”). The list of required documents, submission deadlines, and submission procedure are available in the participant accounts of winners or runners-up and sent to the email addresses provided during registration within ten calendar days following publication of the lists of winners and runners-up.
60. When completing the application form for study in the Russian Federation within the Quota, a winner or runner-up in the Bachelor’s or Master’s track must select the language of instruction and one field of study or specialization corresponding to the relevant subject area and list, in order of preference, up to six higher education institutions offering the selected field of study or specialization.
61. A winner in the Doctoral track selects one of the Organizing Universities for doctoral study and, where applicable, a prospective research supervisor at that university. Eligible choices are limited to universities whose research supervisors or Doctoral Track managers have expressed their willingness to admit the participant to a doctoral program.
62. A winner in the Postdoctoral track selects an Organizing University from among those whose research project leaders have agreed to employ them as a researcher.
63. Winners in the Doctoral and Postdoctoral tracks must notify the organizers of their decision through their participant account.
64. When completing the application form for study in the Russian Federation within the Quota, a Doctoral-track winner indicates the research specialization agreed upon with the prospective research supervisor or Doctoral Track manager at the relevant Organizing University.
65. Within ten calendar days of the publication of the list of winners, Postdoctoral-track winners receive instructions on the next steps required to take up a research position. The instructions are provided through their participant accounts and sent to the email addresses specified during registration.
66. Participants who qualify as winners and/or runners-up in more than one track and/or subject area may exercise the rights associated with such status in only one track and one subject area of their choice.