Address: 49 Kronverksky Pr., St. Petersburg, 197101, Russia
Computer Science, Optics, Photonics
Founded in 1900, ITMO University is a National Research University in St. Petersburg, specializing in Information Technologies, Mechanics, and Optics. It s known for its successes in international programming competitions.
ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, whose letters stand for Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, is a national research university with roots in a craft school founded in 1900. It was a leading Soviet institute for optics and precision mechanics, and it later became a centre for computer science and photonics. It has about 13,000 students and 3,000 staff, and around one student in five comes from abroad. The main building is on Kronverksky Prospekt, close to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
ITMO is best known for programming. Its student teams have won the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest more times than any other university, which made it a model for competitive programming in the world. Graduates work in software companies in Russia and abroad. The faculties cover information technologies and programming, control systems and robotics, photonics and optical engineering, physics, biotechnology, food engineering, and humanities and applied economics.
Research focuses on photonics and optoelectronics, nanotechnology, quantum communications, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and engineering biology. The Metamaterials Lab is known for studies of optical metamaterials and nanoantennas. The university has built an innovation system with start-ups, an incubator and partnerships with companies, and it has attracted researchers from abroad through international laboratories.
Russian applicants enter by the Unified State Exam, with state-funded places and paid places. Foreign students can come through the government quota scholarship system or pay tuition. Fees vary by programme, so check the current tariff. Teaching is in Russian, and the university has one of the largest offers of English-taught master’s programmes in the country. Since 2022, academic exchanges with institutions abroad have changed, so check the current status of agreements.
Students often live in dormitories in the Vasilyevsky Island area or in private flats. Saint Petersburg is cheaper than Moscow, and the campus is close to the metro and the historic centre.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Robotics, Software Engineering, Telecommunications
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Extensive international network with over 250 partner universities; active in student/staff mobility and joint research programs; strong industry collaborations.
Research:
Leading research in IT, AI, robotics, quantum communications, photonics, optics, smart materials, and urban studies.
Famous Alumnis:
Vladimir Vasilyev
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3000
Current students***:
13000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
80000
Pros
Globally recognized for programming and IT, strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, dynamic and modern approach to education.
Cons
Highly competitive, particularly in IT fields; campus distributed across the city.
A good alternative in the same country is Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics, which likewise covers nanotechnologies, telecommunications and robotics; it has almost the same size, at about 12,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation offers a comparable education in telecommunications, robotics and AI and machine learning: it has almost the same size, at about 13,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Both schools build their programmes around nanotechnologies, telecommunications and robotics, and Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University is the one to compare first within the country, since it is slightly smaller, at about 9,000 students against roughly 13,000 here, and is also a public institution.
National Research Tomsk State University follows much the same lines as this institution, with optics and software engineering as common ground, and it is slightly larger, at about 17,000 students against roughly 13,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Oulu, based in Finland, is built around telecommunications, AI and machine learning and software engineering much like this institution, and it has almost the same size, at about 13,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Looking internationally, Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium is where nanotechnologies, optics and computer vision get a comparable treatment; it covers bioinformatics and fluid dynamics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 20,000 students against roughly 13,000 here.
University of Electro-Communications (Japan) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly nanotechnologies, optics and computer vision; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers ergonomics and UX and bioinformatics as well.
Tampere University offers an international parallel to this institution, with optics, AI and machine learning and software engineering as common ground; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Royal Institute of Technology, based in Sweden, is built around nanotechnologies, telecommunications and robotics much like this institution, and it has almost the same size, at about 13,955 students, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is ITMO University?
At 49 Kronverksky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
What does ITMO stand for?
Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics.
When did it start?
Its roots go back to a craft school founded in 1900.
How large is it?
About 13,000 students and 3,000 staff.
What is it best known for?
Programming, photonics, optics, robotics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
What is its record in programming contests?
Its teams have won the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest more times than any other university.
What is the Metamaterials Lab?
A research group known for studies of optical metamaterials and nanoantennas.
How do foreign students enter?
Through the government quota scholarship system or by paying tuition. Check the current tariff.
Are there courses in English?
Yes. The university has one of the largest offers of English-taught master's programmes in Russia.
Where do students live?
In dormitories or private flats, often on or near Vasilyevsky Island.
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technology (IT), Innovation, Photonics, Research and Development, Robotics
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
