The «Become a Master!» Olympiad
The olympiad of the Siberian University of Consumer Cooperation (SibUPK) in Novosibirsk — fully online and aimed at internationals applying to Master's programs (economics, management, law, commerce). For internationals there is an admission path within the government quota, plus discounts on fee-paying study.
An extra benefit for the Master's track: winners and prize-winners may apply through the Russian Government quota path for Master's programs 2026/27 — subject to the list's and the quota's conditions
Official file (PDF) ↗The door opens at the beginning of December — sign up with us and we'll alert you as soon as the new season is confirmed.
International students are eligible according to the official list (the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's 2026/27 Master's list). Admission benefits themselves vary by programme, track and admission rules.
What is the «Become a Master!» olympiad?
An open student olympiad from the Siberian University of Consumer Cooperation (SibUPK) in Novosibirsk — aimed at foreign citizens, stateless persons and applicants living abroad who are applying to Master's programs within the government quota.
The official text is direct: «taking part in the olympiad gives the possibility of studying under the quota of the Government of the Russian Federation for foreign citizens (budget)», and «participation is free and entirely online».
🪟 And there are two different doors in the same season — know which is yours: the quota door (free) for foreign nationals: registration 10 December – 20 March and the olympiad 15 January – 20 March. And the fee-paying door: 3 February – 31 July, for anyone completing or having completed higher education. So if you miss the quota door, the fee-paying one is still ahead of you until the end of July.
🔑 Note: your username and password do not arrive when you register — they arrive on 15 January, the day the olympiad opens. So don't worry if you register in December and nothing comes.
What could you gain?
🔴 The discount is for the first year only — the official text: “a 20% discount on the first year of study” (and 10% for participants, on the first year). Not for the whole period of study. And admission within the quota is competitive and not guaranteed, with the procedures continuing through the official authorities. And our rule stands: covering tuition ≠ covering living costs.
The stages
Registration for foreign nationals opens on 10 December and closes on 20 March. Participation is free and entirely online.
Your username and password arrive by email on 15 January — the day the olympiad opens. If you register after that, they arrive within a few days of your registration.
Two months and a week wide open, so there's no reason to wait for the last week. Review the basics of your field (micro- and macroeconomics and statistics for the economics and management tracks) and set up for the remote test.
Winners and prize-winners enter the quota route (75 on-campus places), and the procedures are completed with the university and the Ministry of Science. And anyone who doesn't make the quota still has the fee-paying door until 31 July, with its discount.
🎯 The announced fields for the quota route: economics (business analysis) · management (risk management) · finance and credit (financial management) · law (criminal law and criminal procedure) · food product technology and catering organisation · commerce (commercial logistics) · tourism · psychological-pedagogical education. The core documents for most Master's olympiads: proof of a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Russian or English, or with a certified translation — the exact list comes from the official website.
The fields
Based on SibUPK's Master's programs:
Who can take part?
The official text: «we invite everyone who has higher education and wishes to enter a SibUPK Master's» to take part.
Foreign nationals register in their own window (10 December – 20 March) for admission to budget places within the Russian government quota.
The olympiad is in Russian, and documents are accepted in Russian or English or with a notarised translation.
This is a Siberian university — factor the difference in climate and cost from Moscow and Saint Petersburg into your budget planning.
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬What does an ordinary participant get?
Even without a top place: a 10% discount on the first year of fee-paying study. Winners and prize-winners get 20% on the first year. 🔴 Note that the discount is for the first year only — that's the official announcement's wording, not for the whole period of study.
💬In which language is the test?
Russian — and documents are accepted in Russian or English, or with a certified translation, per the source.
💬When does registration happen?
For foreign nationals on the quota route: 10 December – 20 March, with the olympiad itself 15 January – 20 March. And there is a second window, 3 February – 31 July, for admission on a fee-paying basis for anyone completing or having completed higher education.
💬🔀 Is there another olympiad at the same university?
Yes — and it's easy to mix them up. «Яркая жизнь (Bright Life)» is an open university olympiad for the Bachelor's level — for school leavers and vocational-education students, open to both foreigners and Russians, online and free, running 15 January – 26 May, and you must sit 3 subjects or your result doesn't count. ⚠️ But it is not on the ministry's quota lists — its results count at admission only under the university's internal rules. If you're a school leaver it's your route; if you're a university graduate, your route is «Become a Master!», the one on this page.
The opportunity is competitive and not guaranteed — dates are updated on sibupk.su, so check them before applying.
Read it? Start preparing
Know someone this could matter to?
Send it to them — a minute from you could change a year of theirs.
Prepare your documents and translations early
As soon as the new season's dates are confirmed, you'll get an alert on the channel right away.