The "I Am a Professional" Student Olympiad
Russia's biggest professional olympiad for university students (Я — профессионал) — the X Season runs 68 tracks, from medicine to artificial intelligence. Participation is free and open to Bachelor's, Specialist and Master's students, including internationals studying in Russia — and Diplomant status may open a simplified Russian residence-permit (ВНЖ) application route for foreign students, subject to the legal requirements.
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 official X-Season timeline: registration 3 September – 10 November 2026, the remote qualifying stage 13 – 29 November 2026 (its results by late December), the final stage February – April 2027, and the season's results in May – June 2027. Each track publishes its exact schedule on the official portal.
22 days left until it closes10 November 2026International students are eligible to take part — the organiser confirms this for the 2026/27 edition.
What is the "I Am a Professional" olympiad?
Russia's largest national student olympiad — run by the "I Am a Professional" association together with leading universities, in partnership with "Russia — Land of Opportunity" (АНО «Россия — страна возможностей»), with Yandex as the technical partner. The X Season 2026/27 has 68 tracks — each run by a specialised organising university (artificial intelligence by MIPT, medicine by Sechenov University, law by SPbU… and so on).
Participation is free under the regulations, and the number of tracks you can enter is unlimited — but the olympiad's language is Russian, and the qualifying round gives you one attempt per track from your personal account, on a computer, not a phone (the regulations explicitly ban mobile devices).
What could you gain? (3 distinct kinds)
The academic privileges differ according to each university's rules — there is no single unified rule, so check your target university's policy. And this is not a direct quota path: it's an admission advantage, and final admission is competitive and not guaranteed.
🎓Who can take part — per the X-Season regulations
Source: the X-Season 2026/27 regulations approved 28 May 2026 (yandex.ru/profi/rules) + the official FAQ.
🛂ВНЖ: a possible simplified residence route for foreign Diplomants
Source: subparagraph 15, paragraph 2, article 8 of Federal Law 115-ФЗ (added by Law 87-ФЗ of 1 April 2022) — with the olympiad's official guide for foreign Diplomants, "Как построить карьеру в России", as the detailed reference for the procedure's steps.
The X-Season stages
On yandex.ru/profi with a Yandex ID account — pick your tracks (unlimited in number) and upload a student status certificate (справка) from your Russian university; the regulations make it mandatory.
Remote, from your personal account — you book a slot inside the window, you get one attempt only per track, and it must be a computer (mobile devices are banned). Results by late December 2026.
The final is in person under the regulations — and where a track has two rounds, its semifinal may be remote or in person depending on the organising university. Venues and schedules are set per track.
The diploma is electronic with a unique ID, verifiable on the official portal for two years — it is what proves your Diplomant status to universities and institutions.
📌 The one essential registration document here: a valid enrollment certificate (справка) from your Russian university — uploaded in your personal account during registration, mandatory under the X-Season regulations.
The 68 tracks
68 tracks in the X Season across 8 groups: agriculture & food (4) · natural sciences (12) · engineering & technology (16) · computer science (6) · creative industries & humanities (8) · medicine & healthcare (4) · pedagogical sciences (3) · socio-economic sciences (15) — each track run by a specialised organising university:
Who can take part?
This is your direct opportunity — and the form of study doesn't matter: full-time, evening or distance, what counts is actual enrollment.
Eligible under the regulations' own wording — and this is exactly who this page is for: the olympiad is one of the strongest opportunities available to you inside Russia.
This olympiad is not available to you — participation requires enrollment at a higher-education institution inside Russia, and the official FAQ confirms it.
All the tests are in Russian — so your language level is a decisive factor before deciding whether to enter this season or aim for a coming one.
Tap any question to open the answer ▾
💬Who is a "Diplomant" and what exactly do they get?
Per the X-Season regulations: Diplomants = the medalists (gold/silver/bronze) + the winners + the prize-winners, all together. The diploma opens the possibility of admission privileges for the next study level by each university's own decision — and the cash prizes go to medalists only: 100–200 thousand rubles in the Bachelor's category and 150–300 thousand in the Master's/Specialist category, depending on the medal.
💬I'm an international student outside Russia — can I take part?
No — the X-Season regulations require enrollment at a higher-education institution registered inside Russia, and the official FAQ confirms that students of foreign universities are not eligible. If you plan to study in Russia, start with admission opportunities (like Open Doors) — and once you're a student there, this olympiad becomes available to you.
💬What about the residence permit (ВНЖ)?
Federal Law 115-ФЗ (article 8, paragraph 2, subparagraph 15) lets a foreign citizen holding finalist or winner status in "Russia — Land of Opportunity" competitions apply for a ВНЖ through a simplified procedure, skipping the РВП stage. The route requires a confirmation document from "Russia — Land of Opportunity" and an application to the migration authority with the standard document set — so it is not an automatic or guaranteed residence permit, and the final decision rests with the migration authority under the applicable legal requirements.
💬In which language?
The official regulations say it verbatim: the working language is Russian — so if your Russian is still building up, treat this as a goal for a coming season and focus now on strengthening your Russian.
💬How many tracks can I enter? How many attempts?
The number of tracks is unlimited under the regulations — but the qualifying round is one attempt only per track: you book your slot inside the 13–29 November window from your personal account, on a computer (mobile devices are banned). And if you disagree with your result, there is an official appeal system.
💬Does participation cost anything?
No — participation is free under the official regulations, and you register directly on the official website with no intermediary.
The opportunity is competitive and not guaranteed: the academic privileges are each university's own decision, and the ВНЖ is a conditional legal route, not an automatic result of winning — the final reference is the X-Season regulations on yandex.ru/profi, the universities' rules and the migration authority.
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Register before 10 November 2026
Registration is open now on the official website — pick your tracks and get your enrollment certificate from your university early.