“I am a Professional” Olympiad Opens Any Doors

International Recognition

Today the “I am a Professional” Olympiad is getting more and more popular among talented students from abroad. The figures speak for themselves: over its history, the Olympiad has united more than 30,000 international participants from 147 countries. This is a confirmation of recognition of the level of Russian education and the Olympiad itself as a source for career start and further development opportunities. But what is more important to us is quality and depth of integration rather than quantity.

The 8th season was a milestone in the development of the Olympiad. Following its results, 74 diplomas were awarded to international students, proving that they can achieve success on a par with Russian talents. They come not only for a degree but also for the opportunity to integrate into the professional community of Russia and get access to advanced technologies and projects. Some people stay here to build their careers, and others go back to their home country with new knowledge, ideas, and strategies for development in various fields, from medicine to the agribusiness industry.

Community Spirit

At the Olympiad, the atmosphere of professionalism prevails. This is not just the thrill of competition, though it definitely exists. This is a spirit of community, immersion in their future profession. Initially, we introduced the idea that the Olympiad is not an exam but rather a big professional testing platform where you can try your hand and understand what you are really capable of without taking risks.

Young people come here not only to win but also to find their peers. Young people find themselves in the environment where they can discuss the most complex professional tasks with their peers in terms of the level of motivation. Our educational forums and schools - that’s where people can really show their emotions. When students from dozens of universities from all over the country, who would have never met in other circumstanсes, get together in the same place and start generating ideas, arguing, and seeking solutions—this is the energy of the community that we create.

Ability to Adapt

The Olympiad is definitely more difficult for international participants, but we can observe that motivated students are not afraid of any barriers but rather grow stronger overcoming them. Firstly, we can see that the Olympiad brings together ambitious young people with a very high degree of adaptability. They have already made their key choice—to come to study in Russia. They are immersed in the language environment. Many of them study in Russian, so they often know not only everyday but also professional vocabulary.

Secondly, they consider preparation for the Olympiad a natural continuation of the learning process rather than something separate. They use the same resources as Russian students: instructional literature, practice assessments, and webinars from top universities. Many of them get help from their teachers, fellow students, and even close ones.

And thirdly, the Olympiad tests primarily professional competencies, which is extremely important. A mathematical model or an engineering solution of genius can be expressed in the language of formulas, drawings, and code as well. The success of foreigners is a 90% consequence of their perseverance and readiness to challenge themselves.

A range of international students' interests is quite telling. They are still attracted by fundamental and classical fields that are a calling card of Russian education worldwide.

According to the previous season data, the top popular fields for international finalists are as follows: General Medicine and Pediatrics are in first place, and Mathematics is in second place. Software Engineering and Nuclear Physics and Technologies are fields where Russia maintains its absolute technological leadership. Programming and Information Technologies and Advertising and Public Relations round out the top five.

We actively develop tracks meeting the current needs of the job market. There is a reason why «International Relations» became one of the new disciplines: now we need specialists capable of building a dialogue in the multipolar world. Among the new fields of the 9th season also were the fields reflecting national priorities, such as Psychology of Inclusion; Green Metallurgy; Product Management in Digital Business; and Russian Arctic is a Territory of Professionals. And we are sure that these subjects will also be sought after by foreigners coming to Russia for technologies of tomorrow rather than for the day before.

Success Stories

Today, Russian education is flexible, focused on practice, and ready to meet the challenges of the foreseeable future. There has been an increase in the number of international students choosing Russia not as a last resort but consciously—for outstanding mathematics schools, breakthroughs in IT, biotechnology and engineering. Top Russian universities are actively integrated into global rankings, and educational programs offered by Russian universities become a navigator for students in the changing world.

However, the competitiveness of Russian education is not measured by rankings only. It is determined by the success stories of participants of our Olympiad. We have a large collection of such stories, and each successful participant follows their own unique way.

Take, for instance, Thomas Gabriel Chang from Nigeria. He is a frequent participant in the Olympiad who passed fierce competition in such fields as Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence. The Olympiad motivated him to deepen his knowledge and systematize his experience, which is extremely important to international students, and gave him a clear understanding of the requirements of the Russian industry and academic environment. He used this experience to undertake high-technology internships and created his own technological startup in augmented reality that has already received grant support.

Another example is Adyaa Bayarmaa from Mongolia, a bronze medalist of the first season in the Finance and Credit field. This achievement gave him a direct and substantial advantage—admission to a Master’s program at the Higher School of Economics, one of the universities organizing the Olympiad, without entrance exams. But what is more important is that the Olympiad helped him integrate into the professional community of Russia: he participated in winter schools where he got acquainted with the top managers from the major companies and saw how IT products are created from the inside out. For international students, this is an invaluable experience that fundamentally changes perception and opens the doors that would otherwise remain closed.