New Delhi: The Russian Federation has opened applications for its government scholarship programme for the academic year 2026 to 27, inviting students from India to pursue higher education across a wide range of disciplines and universities in Russia.

The scholarship is designed to support Indian students who wish to study in Russia, with opportunities available at institutions in major cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Vladivostok and Kaliningrad, as well as other regions.

What does the scholarship offer?

According to the Russian administration, many programmes, particularly in the field of medicine, will be taught in English. As a result, applicants are not required to know the Russian language at the time of admission.

However, students who want to learn Russian can opt for a one-year preparatory language course before starting their main academic programme.

The scholarship covers multiple levels of study, including bachelor’s, specialist, master’s, MPhil and advanced training programmes.

Students can apply for courses in areas such as medicine, pharmacy, engineering, architecture, agriculture, economics, management, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, aviation, space studies, sports and the arts.

How are students selected?

There are no entrance examinations for this scholarship programme. Candidates are chosen based on their previous academic performance and the strength of their portfolio. This portfolio can include research papers, letters of recommendation, certificates from national or international competitions, Olympiads and other relevant documents.

Applicants can indicate their preference for up to six universities. The final allocation, however, depends on the assessment by the universities and the availability of seats.

What is the selection process?

The selection process is carried out in two stages. The first stage runs until January 15 and involves checking documents and shortlisting candidates.

In the second stage, the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, working with participating universities, assigns students to institutions and issues the required visa-related documents.

Students interested in applying are advised to regularly visit the official website for updates and to carefully review the eligibility criteria and application guidelines before submitting their documents.