Russia offers university admission boost for students who pass drone piloting exam
Russia will award university admission bonus points to students passing a drone piloting exam starting in 2027, as part of efforts to expand drone warfare training amid battlefield losses in Ukraine. The initiative integrates drone operations into the state-mandated 'Ready for Labor and Defense' (GTO) program, with trials launching in 2026 and full implementation the following year.
Russia’s Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev announced on May 22 that students passing a drone piloting test will receive extra points on university entrance exams beginning in 2027. The move aligns with Russia’s broader push to recruit students for newly formed drone units, following heavy losses in Ukraine. The drone test will be introduced as part of the government’s 'Ready for Labor and Defense' (GTO) program in 2026, a mandatory physical training curriculum for ages six to 70. Successful completion of GTO already grants students two to five bonus points on state exams, according to a November 2024 order from the Russian Education and Science Ministry. Drone piloting with 75-millimeter propellers will be tested on a trial basis in 2026, with certification available to all participants by 2027. The initiative reflects Russia’s integration of drone warfare into education, as recent reports confirmed the first known student casualty—23-year-old Valery Averin—recruited through drone forces and killed in Donetsk Oblast. Additionally, Russian teenagers can study drone assembly for free at Alabuga Polytech, a military-linked education center in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone, with enrollment open to students as young as 14. The program directly supports Russia’s drone production efforts for the war in Ukraine.
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