Russian Scholarship Project Association "Global Universities"
Open Doors Olympiad is Your chance for an early admission to a tuition-free study program at one of the leading universities in Russia!

If you are a young and ambitious PhD holder, this is your chance to get a postdoc position at one of the leading universities in Russia
About olympiad
The Open Doors offers limitless opportunities for education, self-development, and new academic career prospects in Russia for young talented individuals from around the globe.

  • 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 will have the opportunity to enroll in a fee-paying basis without exams.
  • Olympiad is held in 3 tracks: Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Postgraduate studies.
  • Olympiad competitions are held online.
  • Foreign citizens and stateless persons, including compatriots living abroad, who are having or completing a higher education level (not lower than a Bachelor's degree for a Master's degree track and not lower than a Master's degree or Specialist for a Postgraduate track), can participate in Olimpiad competitions.
  • Olympiad is held both in Russian and English. You can immediately enroll in English-language Bachelor's and Master's degree programs or in a Russian-language program with a free year of studying Russian at the Preparatory Department of the SFedU.
WHY SFedU University?
Southern Federal University (SFedU) is the largest research and educational center in the south of Russia, which has a rich history dating back to 1915. SFedU has more than 24,000 students, including 3,000 international students from 80 countries. SFedU is located in the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog. This unique location shows the inclusiveness of university and a wide variety of current tasks: the establishment of the university as a leading center for training highly qualified specialists; the development of fundamental and applied research; inclusion in international research and educational networks. Most SFedU faculties and institutes are located in the city of Rostov-on-Don – a beautiful city with the richest heritage, the largest industrial and cultural center on the banks of the picturesque Don River.
SFedU engineering faculties are located in the city of Taganrog, which is situated on the shore of the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea.
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP
Geography of SFedU international students
OUR BENEFITS
  • Academic degree
    SFedU is included in the list of scientific and educational organizations, which is able to independently award academic degrees of Candidate and Doctor of Sciences.
  • Competitive positions in international rankings
  • "Agroclimatology", "Neuroimaging" and "Biology of synapses", search laboratory "Communication Systems"
  • SFedU students can spend a semester at one of about 70 foreign partner universities as part of the academic exchange program.
  • We invite you to acquire new interdisciplinary competencies and skills.
  • Graduates of the university receive a European Diploma Supplement.
  • SFedU is on the list of winners for the track "Research Leadership" of the “Priority 2030” program
  • SFedU is a member of Network Universities: Network University of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russian-African Network University (RAFU), Russian-Kyrgyz Consortium of Technical Universities (RKKTU)
  • The Division of Russian as a Foreign Language and General Courses for International Students (Preparatory Department) prepares foreign applicants for professional educational programs in Russian
  • SFedU has the right to independently conduct an examination of foreign education for the purpose of academic recognition

Find out all the important details about the admission process at SFedU!

Bachelor's degree
The winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad can enroll at the chosen level of education and study for free in the following areas
SPECIALIST'S DEGREE
The winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad can enroll at the chosen level of education and study for free in the following areas
Master's degree
The winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad can enroll at the chosen level of education and study for free in the following areas
PhD degree
The winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad can enroll at the chosen level of education and study for free in the following areas
  • Doctor of Physico-mathematical Sciences, Professor

    • Nanotechnology and nanomaterials
  • Doctor of Technical Sciences

    • System analysis, management and information processing
  • Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

    • Informatics and information processes
  • Candidate of Technical Sciences

    • Antennas, microwave devices and their technologies
  • Doctor of Philosophical Sciences

    • Sociology
  • Doctor of Political Sciences

    • History and theory of politics
  • Professor, Chief Researcher
    Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, expert of the Federal Register of Experts in the scientific and technical sphere of the Russian Federation

    • Philosophical sciences
    • Political Science
  • Doctor of Political Sciences

    • History and theory of politics
  • Candidate of Historical Sciences

    • General History
  • Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor

    • General History
  • Doctor-Candidate of Historical Sciences

    • General History
  • Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor

    • Physical education and professional physical training
    • Wellness and adaptive physical education
  • Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor

    • Wellness and adaptive physical education
  • Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor

    • Wellness and adaptive physical education
  • Candidate of Psychological Sciences

    • Psychophysiology (psychological sciences)
  • Candidate of Psychological Sciences

    • General psychology, personality psychology, history of psychology
    • Educational psychology, psychodiagnostics of digital educational environment
  • Candidate of Science in Psychology

    • Social psychology, political and economic psychology
  • Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor

    • Wellness and adaptive physical education
  • Doctor of Philosophical Sciences

    • Interdisciplinary study of cognitive processes (Philosophy)
  • Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

    • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Sciences

    • Mathematical modeling, numerical methods and software packages
    • Mathematical and software support for computers, complexes and computer networks
  • Candidate of Technical Sciences

    • Artificial intelligence & Machine learning (Mathematical and natural science foundations of artificial intelligence)
Read information about postdocs!
We offer international staff
  • Guaranteed employment for 3 years
  • Comfortable apartment-style dormitory accommodation
  • Access to state-of-the-art laboratories and shared research facilities
  • Opportunities for professional growth:
— Participation in scientific conferences and projects
— Joint research initiatives with graduate and postgraduate students
Modern infrastructure for living, working, and leisure
  • Two campuses in the multicultural cities of Rostov-on-Don and Taganrog, southern Russia
  • Comfortable dormitories and academic cafes
  • Olympic-size swimming pool, fitness centers, tennis courts, cruising yachts
  • Campsites in the Caucasus mountains and on the Black Sea coast
  • Botanical Garden
  • Scientific library, nestled in a grand old mansion
  • Orientation programs and cultural events
  • World-class research and technology:
— Center for High-tech Instrumentation
— Engineering Center for Instrumentation, Radio and Microelectronics
— Advanced Engineering School
— 14 international laboratories and design bureaus
— 13 centers for shared scientific equipment
— Multilingual scientific communication (6 languages)
Analysis of big experimental data based on supercomputer modeling and machine learning technologies
The goal of the research and development project is to develop a comprehensive non-destructive in-situ and operando nanometrological X-ray spectral characterization of the parameters of the local atomic and electronic structures of materials using modern instrumental methods, including the latest generation of synchrotron radiation sources

Head of project:
Alexander Soldatov - doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, professor, director of the smart materials research Institute SFedU
Personal page
Analysis of big experimental data based on supercomputer modeling and machine learning technologies
The goal of the research and development project is to develop a comprehensive non-destructive in-situ and operando nanometrological X-ray spectral characterization of the parameters of the local atomic and electronic structures of materials using modern instrumental methods, including the latest generation of synchrotron radiation sources

Head of project:
Alexander Soldatov - doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, professor, director of the smart materials research Institute SFedU
Personal page
UNIVERSITY OF TWO CITIES
Most SFedU faculties and institutes are located in the city of Rostov-on-Don – a beautiful capital of the Don Region with the richest heritage, the largest industrial and cultural center on the banks of the picturesque Don River. The population of the Rostov region is 4,152.5 thousand people. SFedU engineering faculties are in the city of Taganrog, which is situated on the shore of the Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea. The Don Region is attractive for its rich history, charming nature, hospitable inhabitants, and distinctive Cossack culture. Our region is the birthplace of the great Russian writers Anton Pavlovich Chekhov and Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov.

STUDENT CAMPUS

  • SFedU offers its students comfortable apartment-type dormitories.
  • There are playgrounds, a swimming pool, a library, reading rooms, and student cafés on the territory of campus.
  • SFedU campus is a guarded facility with security cameras and staff all around.
Learn more about the SFedU infrastructure
STUDENT LEISURE
STUDENT SPORTS CLUBS
A student association that organizes and conducts sports events at the university, municipal, regional and all-Russian levels, promotes a healthy lifestyle, forms and performs SFedU national teams in competitions of the Association of Student Sports Clubs of Russia.
InterSFedU Club

Brings together students who want to meet new cultures and new people. The aim is to create a safe space to share and educate each other about different cultures by engaging in a range of social events and making friends from all over the world.
VOLUNTEER CENTER 

The SFedU Volunteer Center is a team of enthusiasts and motivated students who help organize and run charity events, training events, forums, campaigns and meetings at university and national levels. SFedU volunteers offer their support and networking in sport competitions and environmental activities.
We strive to create a welcoming & homely atmosphere for our students
Support and participation in cultural festivals, as well as religious and traditional holidays , all this help students to better adapt in Russia
Support and adaptation of SFedU international students
  • Department of Mentoring and Socio-cultural Adaptation of International Students
    It brings together students who want to meet new cultures and new people. The aim is to create a safe space to share and educate each other about different cultures by engaging in a range of social events and making friends from all over the world.
  • Department of social and psychological support

    It provides social and psychological support for international students from the moment of their arrival until graduation. SFedU helps to identify and solve problems of adaptation, as well as takes care students’ cultural and psychological well-being.
  • Department of Primary Invitation and Migration Registration

    It helps with the arrival and stay of foreign students of the SFedU in the territory of the Russian Federation – issuing an invitation, registering for migration registration and extending a visa.

SFEDU STUDENTS’ REVIEWS
Hasan MD Mahmudul (Bangladesh)
SFedU gave me a great opportunity to develop my potential in Computer science and build a career in Cybersecurity. I am grateful to our teachers for their constant support and mentoring, they motivated and encouraged me in all my endeavors.
The opportunity to study with many students from different countries helps us to adapt to Russian culture and learn about other foreign cultures. SFedU is the best university for international students!
Manmi Barka (Chad)
I chose the Southern Federal University because it was highly ranked internationally among higher education institutions in the south of Russia. I study at the Academy of Biology and Biotechnology and do this with great interest. I always recommend SFedU to my friends because it’s here that I realized how much I wanted to implement my project. I like SFedU because here we can prove ourselves in the sphere of culture and art besides doing research.
El Katu Yara (Lebanon)
My name is Yara, I study at the Southern Federal University! Why did I choose SFedU?!
Because for me, SFedU is the best University in the South of Russia. I recommend this university to my friends and acquaintances, because it is here that you can find great support throughout your studies, teachers are always kind to students! I am very lucky, and I am happy to study here!
International Relation Office of Southern Federal University
105/42 Bolshaya Sadovaya Str., Rostov-on-Don, 344006, Russia
+7 (863) 218 40 24
welcome@sfedu.ru