Registration and application submission from October 2025
To apply for a quota, it is necessary:

• register on the website https://education-in-russia.com/ ;
• fill out the application form;
• upload a photo;
• upload a passport scan with notarized translation;
• a scan of the document on education, a report card with grades (or a certificate of the period of education with grades for graduating students);
• the candidates consent of his\her personal data (the file is available for download during registration);
• a scan of a medical certificate containing a comprehensive assessment of the candidates health status, medical certificates confirming the absence of hepatitis B, C, tuberculosis and a copy of the certificate of the absence of HIV infection.

The SFedU is ready to support applicants to Master's and Post-Graduate studies (PhD) by issuing recommendation letters for obtaining the government quota. Recommendation letters would be beneficial for applicants, who put SFedU in the first place (as a priority) in the list of desirable universities. Contact welcome@sfedu.ru for recommendation letters.
Candidates of Post-Graduate Education (Doctors degree) must submit a list of published scientific papers and an abstract (coursework) or motivation letter. You should choose only 1 field of study in the application. Recommendation letters would be beneficial for applicants, who put SFedU in the first place (as a priority) in the list of desirable universities.
Applications review and 1st stage of the selection of candidates is carried out in the foreign offices (Russian Houses) of Rossotrudnichestvo (contact list)

Olympiad competition winners from foreign countries will be granted a free early admission at the Southern Federal University, without entrance examinations and will get a scholarship (with tuition fees covered by the Russian Federation). Olympiad participants and prize-winners will have the opportunity to enroll in Master's and Postgraduate programs at SFedU on a fee-paying basis without exams.
Detailed information about Bachelor's, Master's, Postgraduate and Postdoc programs, as well as SfedU scientific supervisors, can be found on the website: https://www.study.sfedu.ru/opendoors
Olympiad is held both in Russian and English in online format. Register on the website from September 5 to November 20. Upload your portfolio and take the test.
The results will be announced on January 10 (Bachelor's and Master's degrees) and February 21 (Postgraduate studies).

This is a unique opportunity for foreign citizens to receive a scholarship (quota) of the Government of the Russian Federation and study at Master's degree for free.
The Olympiad is held in Russian and English in two stages. The quota provides for the possibility of studying at the preparatory department for programs that are implemented in the SFedU in Russian. You do not need a preparatory course to enroll in English-language programs. Registration and Olympiad tasks are posted on the website https://магистратураолимпиада.рф
from November 1, 2025.

The winners are the participants who scored 75 or more points at the end of the second stage.