310 points and 0 chance: Russian applicants complain that the maximum score on the Unified State Exam no longer guarantees a "budget" place.
In Russia, achieving top final exam scores no longer guarantees admission to tuition-free programs at leading universities. Since July, social media has been flooded with complaints from applicants unable to secure state-funded programs even with 300 or more points due to an influx of Olympiad winners.
Why don't students with perfect scores get state-funded places?
Universities allocate only 20-25 free spots for popular programs, and almost all of them go to Olympiad winners. As a result, students who achieved top scores on exams are excluded from admissions lists.
It turns out the Unified State Exam isn't the worst thing. The worst thing is watching people with 297 points apply for the "cardboard" exam.
Some graduates face this problem even when they achieve the maximum possible result, taking into account their individual achievements.
I'm the same person who scored 310 points on the Unified State Exam. And I didn't get a scholarship to any of the universities I applied to. I did everything I could to the fullest. I scored 100 points on all Unified State Exams and received 10 points for individual achievement. Guys, take part in Olympiads—it's better to push someone out than to be pushed out.
Olympic inflation and the State Duma's reaction
Each university independently determines the list of Olympiads in which victory grants automatic admission outside of the general competition. In addition to the All-Russian School Olympiad, there are 83 other Olympiads listed by the Ministry of Education and Science, including Robofest, Ocean of Knowledge, Belchonok, Themis, as well as the Gazprom and Rosatom Olympiads.
Consequently, the public and experts began to doubt the objectivity of such an admissions system.
What kind of Olympiads are these anyway? Back in our day, there was the "All-Russian" Olympiad. But, excuse me, to win the "All-Russian" Olympiad, you had to be a genius. There were a maximum of ten winners for the entire country. And now there are so many Olympiads. It feels like every neighborhood has its own. It dilutes the value of "I'm an Olympiad winner," and it also looks like a life hack to avoid taking the Unified State Exam.
The problem has already attracted attention in parliament. Oleg Smolin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, acknowledged that high-scorers often find themselves left behind when the number of Olympiad participants exceeds or equals the number of state-funded places. In this regard, a proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science to introduce additional state-funded places specifically for applicants with 100 points.
