Indonesia Hosts HSE International Olympiad for First Time
HSE University and the Russian House in Indonesia have held the first offline INTO HSE olympiad in Jakarta. It is a new, free event in English for international school students.
Held since 2013, the HSE International Olympiad has become a key tool in attracting international applicants to the university. Over this time, more than 17,000 school students have taken part in the intellectual competition. In 2024, the English track became a separate olympiad: INTO HSE. In 2025, it took place in Vietnam, Ghana, and Malaysia.
Ekaterina Belousova
Deputy Director of the International Admissions Office at HSE University
HSE University's mission is to provide applicants from different countries with access to high-quality education free of charge. Organising olympiads is one of the most efficient tools to spot the most talented prospective students. Holding in-person competitions helps school students understand how important every applicant is to us regardless of which country they are in. Face-to-face interaction strengthens applicants' motivation to join our university in particular.
In autumn 2023, HSE University significantly strengthened its position in the Asia-Pacific region by opening a representative office in Indonesia. The new educational hub operates at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) in Surabaya and is coordinated by HSE University-St Petersburg. 'The olympiad is the next step in this cooperation after the opening of our representative office in Surabaya. It serves as an educational centre for the whole Asia-Pacific region,' says Svyatoslav Kvartalnov, Director of the Representative Offices Department at HSE University-St Petersburg.
Bima Ramadhani, Head of the HSE Representative Office in Indonesia, thanked the Russian House and the SMA Yasporbi Pancoran school for the joint project: 'We are very grateful for the opportunity to hold this intellectual competition for talented Indonesian high school students. Winners and prizewinners get scholarships and grants from HSE University, including an opportunity to study at the university for free.'
Competitions were held in mathematics, social sciences, philosophy, world history, and English. Nikita Shilikov, Head of the Russian House in Jakarta, highlighted, 'The aim of the olympiad is not only to check knowledge but also to find talented students who can think logically and approach tasks in a creative way.' Representatives of the hosting school said, 'We are glad that such programmes exist. The olympiad assesses students' academic abilities and presents them with an opportunity for international educational experience.'
Svyatoslav Kvartalnov
Director of the Representative Offices Department at HSE University-St Petersburg
Strengthening educational ties with South-East Asia is a key priority in HSE University's international strategy. We do not just search for promising applicants—we also create a platform for wider academic interaction. Such events contribute to the development of student exchange programmes and the launch of joint research projects and educational programmes with the leading universities of the region.