The Ministry of Education and Science of Russia has introduced a "day of silence" for university admissions.

      With the start of the new admissions campaign for Russian universities, applicants are faced with an important innovation. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation has officially established a so-called "day of silence" — a period during which any changes to submitted documents will be impossible. Deputy Head of the Ministry Andrey Omelchuk explained that this measure is intended to make the competitive lists as transparent and predictable as possible for applicants. In anticipation of the start of the admissions campaign for the 2026/2027 academic year, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia announced a number of significant changes to the admission procedure for higher educational institutions. The key change is the introduction of the "day of silence," aimed at organizing the final stage of the competition. According to Andrey Omelchuk, whose words are quoted by RIA Novosti, the innovation applies to the last day before the issuance of orders for enrollment. During this time, applicants will not be able to make adjustments to their applications or withdraw their consent for enrollment. "The absence of movements on the very last day will make the situation for applicants significantly more predictable," emphasized the deputy minister. For admissions committees, this will also be an advantage: the work on orders will proceed in a calm, organized manner without "last-minute voting with feet."

      Unified digital standard

      In addition to the "day of silence," the Ministry is implementing a unified digital channel for submitting documents. Now all applications will be submitted exclusively through the "Gosuslugi" portal. The ministry explained that this standardizes the process for all categories of students and reduces the number of technical errors related to the human factor.

      New rules for college graduates and quotas

      Changes have also affected college graduates (SPO). Previously, they could take internal entrance exams regardless of their previous education profile. Now this right is granted only if further study at the university corresponds to the specialty obtained in college. The university will determine the compliance of profiles. Additionally, universities have been given the right to manage budget places more flexibly. Educational institutions will be able to redistribute places among different quotas. If there are free positions in one of the categories (for example, for beneficiaries or target students), the university has the right to direct them to other quotas or to the general competition.

      Start dates

      Recall that according to the official announcement from the press service of the Ministry of Education and Science, the acceptance of documents to Russian universities for all levels of higher education (bachelor's, specialist, master's) will begin on June 20.