Russia Sees Rising Student Interest in STEM as National Exam Trends Shift

Early results from Russia’s 2025 national exams show more students opting for advanced math, a sign of growing enthusiasm for IT and engineering careers.

Preliminary results from Russia’s Unified State Exam (EGE) indicate a noticeable rise in student interest in STEM fields, particularly IT and engineering. One of the clearest signs is the increase in students choosing the advanced-level math test.

In 2025, 30,000 more students took the more difficult version of the math exam compared to 2024. For the first time since 2018, the number of participants surpassed 300,000. The average test score was 62.6.

According to Anzor Muzaev, head of Rosobrnadzor (the Federal Education and Science Supervision Agency), this shift could translate into 18,000 additional university applicants pursuing engineering and IT majors.

The agency also noted a rise in the number of students taking the chemistry exam—6,000 more than in 2024. Interest in history has also grown, with 9,000 additional participants this year.

Meanwhile, literature saw a decline in popularity, with 5,000 fewer students taking the exam compared to the previous year.