The MGIMO International School Olympiad for Foreign Citizens is a prestigious academic competition designed for high school students from foreign countries, including South Africa, who intend to pursue studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The Olympiad aims to:

• Identify the most gifted and well-prepared students from foreign countries in their final years of secondary education;
• Support talented youth abroad and promote scientific knowledge;
• Select high-achieving school graduates with potential to study at MGIMO.

Competition Disciplines

Participants will be assessed on their level of competence in one or more of the following subjects:

• Russian
• English
• Fundamentals of Geography
• World History
• International Relations

Languages and Fees

• Working languages: Russian and English
• Participation fee: None (participation is free of charge)

Competition Stages

The Olympiad consists of two stages:

• Remote Qualifying Stage
  Conducted online via the official Contest website: http://int-olymp-mgimo.com

• Final Stage
  Consists of a written assessment. This stage is held either in-person or remotely, depending on the country (or group of countries) participating.
  The venues, format, and specific dates are determined annually by the Organising Committee and published in the official Calendar Plan.

Determining Winners and Prize-Winners

• First-Degree Diplomas – awarded to first-place winners.
• Second-Degree Diplomas – awarded to prize-winners.
• Final results and lists of winners are approved by the Organising Committee upon the jury’s recommendation.

Rights and Benefits of Winners and Prize-Winners

• Tuition-Free Study
  Winners in the Russian language category may be granted free tuition for bachelor’s degree programmes (Russian-speaking or English-speaking) for foreign citizens, in line with the current regulations of the Russian Federation.

• Priority Admission
  Winners also receive priority consideration for admission to MGIMO’s tuition-paying bachelor’s programmes (Russian- or English-speaking) based on portfolio competition results.

• Validity of Diplomas
  Diplomas awarded to winners and prize-winners are valid for two years following the year of the competition.

Eligible Study Areas

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• South African citizens;

• Currently enrolled grade 12 scholars.

Application Deadline

31 October 2025

Contact Information

For technical assistance during registration or while using your personal account, please contact the Organising Committee at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Documents and links

Competition website

Regulatory documents of the Competition

Rules of the Competition

Note

Please note that this opportunity is not offered by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Applicants are required to undertake their own research into programmes and institutions and are responsible for ensuring that the qualifications will be recognised in South Africa by contacting the South African Qualifications Authority and the relevant professional bodies. If there are any discrepancies in the details provided, the information given by the sponsor supersedes the details provided above. No additional financial support will be provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training.

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