ITMO’s Mega Contest Unveils Key Facts
With ITMO’s Mega Contest, you can enter the university’s Master’s programs without entrance exams. Having launched in the 2021-2022 academic year, the contest is now in its second season. Here’s all you need to know about it.
What is the Mega Contest?
It is a contest held for Bachelor’s students and graduates. Its winners can enroll into ITMO’s Master’s programs without entrance exams. The first Mega Contest was held in the 2021-2022 academic year, with 30 winners landing their positions at ITMO.
This season, the number of participants increased by 45%: 1,966 students (compared to last year’s 1,348) have submitted 6,352 applications. Three of the most popular fields among applicants are Software Engineering and Computer Technologies (588), Data Analytics (473), and Artificial Intelligence (434).
What’s new this season?
Increased number of tracks: 27 compared to last year’s 16. The new additions are: Chemistry and Artificial Intelligence; Applied Genomics; Instrumentation Technologies; Infochemistry; Industrial Backend; Cloud Technologies and Networks; Data Analytics; Technological Entrepreneurship; Finance and Investments; Intellectual Property; Marketing; and Business Informatics. Some of the existing tracks have been expanded: for instance, Ecology is now Ecology, Environmental Management and Protection; Robotics has become Control Systems and Robotics; and Bioengineering – Bioengineering and Chemoinformatics.
All tracks are grouped into eleven fields: Programming, AI, Biology, Biotechnology, Engineering Sciences, Humanities, Ecology, Chemistry, Robotics, Physics, and Economics and Innovations.
Opportunities for winners and participants
Just like last year, the Mega Contest offers its winners (and in some cases – runners-up), third- and fourth-year Bachelor’s students and graduates, the chance to enter ITMO’s Master’s programs without exams. Fourth-years and graduates will need to avail of this opportunity in the same calendar year, while third-years will have to do it in the year following the contest. Importantly, winners will also receive relocation packages: they will be supported during their move to St. Petersburg and have their dorm fees covered throughout the entire period of studies.
This year, everyone proceeding to the final round will have the opportunity to attend Mega School, an online educational event within each of the contest’s tracks. There, participants will get to talk to ITMO’s scientists and the program’s partners, gain useful connections, and, most importantly, get another chance to enter some of the university’s Master’s programs through a competition.