The “Izumrud” International School Olympiad
An international olympiad for school students run by Ural Federal University (UrFU) in Yekaterinburg — 10 profiles, with an online qualifying stage running four and a half months. The 2026/27 cycle has already started and the door is open until 19 January 2027, and the olympiad is listed on the Ministry of Science's approved quota list for 2026/27.
Olympiads whose winners and prize-winners may apply for the Russian Government quota — school students' list
Official file (PDF) ↗The 2026/27 cycle has started. A long window — but don't put it off. The qualifier is online in your personal account and you can sit it at any point within it; then comes final preparation on 20 – 24 January 2027 and the in-person final on 30 January – 2 February 2027.
92 days left until it closes19 January 2027International students are eligible according to the official list (the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's 2026/27 school-students list). Admission benefits themselves vary by programme, track and admission rules.
🏛️ The strongest backing on this page: the olympiad is listed on the Russian Ministry of Science's approved list for 2026/27 (the school students' list) — the list of olympiads whose winners and prize-winners may apply for the Russian government quota.
🎓 And mind the difference between two separate benefits:
↳ The quota route — this is your route as an international student, and its backing is the ministry's list.
↳ And UrFU's own admission benefit — the official page says the diploma “may provide additional opportunities when applying to UrFU”, and that “the conditions depend on the olympiad profile, the year of participation and the chosen programme”. So the university benefit is conditional and variable — read its terms in the official document before you build on it.
🔴 And the general rule that applies here: at many university olympiads the university benefit (admission without entrance exams) is tied to a ЕГЭ score — the Russian state exam, which you most likely won't sit. Izumrud's official page does not mention that condition either way, so ask about it outright before relying on the university benefit. The quota route's backing is different — it is the ministry's list, and that is the one that concerns you.
↳ The official “benefit details” page — that's where your year's exact terms live.
🌍 And your eligibility to take part as an international student is settled: the olympiad is listed by name on the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's 2026/27 school-students list — a list drawn up precisely for winners applying for the quota for educating foreign citizens and stateless persons in Russia. The regulation also names students studying outside Russia and secondary vocational (СПО) students explicitly.
↳ But keep them apart: that settles your right to take part. The admission benefits (the preferential БВИ route and the university scholarship) vary by profile, programme and admission rules, and the olympiad's own page says each profile's inclusion in the list of olympiads will be published later. So don't assume a foreign participant automatically gets the same treatment as a ЕГЭ candidate for the university benefit — ask [email protected].
What is this olympiad?
«Международная олимпиада школьников «Изумруд»» — an olympiad for school students run by Ural Federal University (UrFU) together with the Sverdlovsk Region's education ministry, in Yekaterinburg, for years 8 to 11 and, per the rules, secondary vocational (СПО) students. The official name itself describes it as international.
It splits into two stages: an online qualifier running from 1 September 2026 to 19 January 2027 — four and a half months in which you can sit it at any time — then final preparation on 20 – 24 January 2027, and an in-person final on 30 January – 2 February 2027. Marked papers open on 20 March 2027 and the final results are published on 27 March 2027.
🔴 And mind the family: UrFU runs three olympiads called “Izumrud”: “Izumrud” (this one — for school students, leading to a Bachelor's), “Izumrud.Student” (for university students and graduates, leading to a Master's — it has its own page here), and “Izumrud.Debut”. The timetables and the benefits differ — make sure you're on the right page.
👯 “Izumrud” is not “Izumrud.Student” — don't mix them up:
🎒 “Izumrud” (this page) = school students (years 8–11 and СПО students) ⇐ a route towards a Bachelor's.
🎓 “Izumrud.Студент” (Izumrud.Student) = university students and graduates (Bachelor's/Specialist) ⇐ a route towards a Master's, and it has its own page here.
Both are run by the same university and share almost the same date window — but the benefits and admission rules are completely different.
What could you reach?
🎯 Separate the two benefits — this is the most important line here: the quota route is backed by the Ministry of Science's list, while the university benefit at UrFU is backed by the university's own terms and varies by profile, year, programme and admission rules. And winning opens the door — the final decision on the quota route is issued by the ministry, and on the university route by the admissions committee. And our rule stands: covering tuition ≠ covering living costs — and the final is in person, so budget the travel.
How do you apply?
Everything goes through UrFU's applicant portal. The official page is split into clear steps:
📌 Before you register, open “past qualifying scores” and “preparation materials” on the same site — both are published officially and save you guessing at the level of competition.
👥Who can take part
📄 Source: the olympiad's official regulation — approved 12 May 2026
🗓️How you take part
📄 Source: the olympiad's regulation and its operating rules — both approved 12 May 2026
🎥The “remote” qualifier — but with a camera and proctoring
📄 Source: the olympiad's operating rules — approved 12 May 2026
🏛️Final day — in person, and the rules are strict
📄 Source: the operating rules — and the equipment check follows instructions issued by the education regulator on 2 February 2026
🎖️What you gain
📄 Source: the olympiad's official regulation — approved 12 May 2026
⚠️Things to watch out for
📄 Source: the olympiad's regulation and its operating rules — both approved 12 May 2026
The official timetable — the 2026/27 cycle
1 September 2026 – 19 January 2027 (until 23:59 Yekaterinburg time). Fill in your details, choose one or more of the profiles open to your year, and sit the tests — 60 minutes and one attempt per profile.
20 – 24 January 2027: check your qualifier result, choose your city of participation, and upload your admission documents. (The final-stage page says document upload stays open until 30 January.)
30 January – 2 February 2027 — at the venue you chose from those available, with your ID on you.
20 March 2027 at 12:00 Yekaterinburg time — see your marks question by question and appeal a specific question if you need to.
27 March 2027 — your place in the final lists.
A winner's or prize-winner's diploma is available until 20 June 2027 (on the РСОШ site, per the official page).
📌 This timetable is taken from the official page dovuz.urfu.ru/olymps/izumrud — the “How the olympiad runs in the 2026/27 academic year” section — and was re-verified live on 7 September 2026. The official page also publishes “passing scores from previous years”, “preparation materials” and “previous years' winners” — all three give you a realistic picture of the competition before you register.
The ten profiles
The profiles (профили) and their school years exactly as announced for the 2026/27 cycle:
Who can take part?
That range is published on the official page. And each profile has its own years — some run 8–11, others 10–11 only (see the list below). If you're in a lower year, wait — but taking part early helps, because it shows you the question style.
The official page says, in so many words, “for school students in years 8–11 and СПО students” — and participation follows the published rules, so check your profile in the regulation.
The olympiad is listed by name on the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's 2026/27 school-students list — the list drawn up for the foreign-student quota — so your eligibility to take part is settled by an official source. The regulation also names students studying outside Russia explicitly. But note: that covers taking part; the admission benefits vary by profile, programme and admission rules.
It runs entirely in your personal account, with one attempt per profile and 60 minutes per test, per the official page. You can take part from your own country without travelling — but the regulation requires webcam identity verification, that you be alone in the room, and one screen.
The final stage is 30 January – 2 February 2027, and before it, on 20 – 24 January, you choose your city of participation and upload your documents (documents until 30 January, per the final-stage page). If you're outside Russia that means travel and a visa — plan early.
The olympiad is listed on the approved list for 2026/27 — and that is what opens the quota route.
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬What's the difference between “Izumrud”, “Izumrud.Student” and “Izumrud.Debut”?
Three different olympiads from the same university.
“Izumrud” — the one on this page: for school students (years 8–11), leading to admission benefits for a Bachelor's.
“Izumrud.Student” — for Bachelor's students and graduates, leading to a Master's; it has its own page here.
“Izumrud.Debut” — a third version on the same portal.
The timetables and benefits are completely different — make sure you're on the right page before you build anything on a date.
💬What exactly are the 2026/27 dates?
The cycle is open now, and this is the timetable published on the official page:
• Registration + the online qualifier: 1 September 2026 – 19 January 2027
• Preparing for the final (city choice + documents): 20 – 24 January 2027 (document upload until 30 January)
• The in-person final: 30 January – 2 February 2027
• Marked paper and appeals: 20 March 2027 at 12:00 Yekaterinburg time
• Final results: 27 March 2027 · diplomas available until 20 June 2027
📌 These dates were re-verified from the official page on 7 September 2026 — if you find a different figure anywhere else, the official page is the reference.
💬I'm not in Russia — can I take part?
The qualifying stage is entirely online, so you can do it from your own country. But the final stage is in person (30 January – 2 February 2027), and there is a formal step called “choose your city of participation”. So you have to budget travel and a visa into your plan now. The official name describes the olympiad as “international”. 🟢 And your eligibility to take part is settled: the olympiad is listed by name on the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education's 2026/27 school-students list — the list drawn up for the foreign-student quota — and the regulation explicitly names students studying outside Russia. But that covers taking part; the university's admission benefits vary by profile, programme and admission rules, so ask about those rather than assuming them.
💬Does winning mean guaranteed admission?
No. And there are two different routes you need to keep apart:
1) The quota route: the olympiad is listed on the Ministry of Science's approved list for 2026/27, and that opens the door for winners and prize-winners to apply for the Russian government quota. The ministry issues the final referral.
2) UrFU's own benefit: the official page says “additional opportunities when applying”, and that “the conditions depend on the profile, the year and the programme” plus the admission rules. So it is conditional and variable — and on top of that each profile's inclusion in the “list of olympiads” has not been published yet, in the official page's own words, so don't assume any profile grants БВИ. Read the terms on the official documents page.
In both cases: winning opens the door, and the last decision is an official one.
💬Is the benefit tied to the ЕГЭ exam?
The olympiad's page does not mention that condition — neither confirming nor denying it. And this is a particularly important question for you, because at many university olympiads the university benefit (admission without entrance exams) requires a ЕГЭ score — a Russian state exam you most likely won't sit, which makes that benefit practically unavailable to you. Open the official “benefit details” page on urfu.ru and ask the admissions committee outright. 🟢 But note: the quota route rests on different backing — the Ministry of Science's list, not ЕГЭ.
💬Are appeals possible?
Yes — the official page has its own “submit an appeal” section, which is not the case in every olympiad (some regulations abolish appeals entirely). But find out its deadline from the regulation — in most olympiads the window is very narrow (a single day after results are announced, in some).
💬How do I gauge my level before registering?
The official page publishes “passing scores from previous years”, “preparation materials” and “lists of previous years' winners”. All three give you a realistic picture of the competition — open them before you choose your profile, not after.
Everything here is taken from the official page dovuz.urfu.ru/olymps/izumrud — written on 27 July 2026 and re-verified live on 7 September 2026 after the 2026/27 cycle opened — and the quota listing is from the Ministry of Science's approved file for 2026/27. The university benefit's terms vary by profile, year, programme and admission rules, the profiles' inclusion in the list of olympiads has not been published yet in the official page's own words, and the lists are updated every season — the official site is always the final reference, so open it and check before any step.
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The window is long (four and a half months) but the final is in person — and travel needs early planning. Open the passing scores and the preparation materials, and sit the qualifier early: 60 minutes and one attempt per profile, with no retakes.