CASE-IN named the best engineering universities in Russia

The best universities in Russia have been identified with the most promisingmi shotami for fuel and energy and mineral resource complexes. This rating was compiled by experts Internationalwow engineeringwow championshipbut CASE-IN  with the support of The Presidentialouch platformsy "Russia is a land of opportunity". Annual results ratings Student League published on the eve of the XIV season of the championship and Traditionally, they serve as a tool for assessing the quality of engineering education and motivating students to build successful careers in leading industries..

The CASE-IN Championship, which will be held for the 14th time in 2026, has been systematically working with universities since 2013. To assess the involvement of universities and the quality of student training, the organizing committee annually forms industry ratings.

"When forming the ratings, both historical performance (systematic participation and victories over the years) and current achievements are taken into account, which make it possible to mark universities that have recently joined the movement, but are already showing high results.  But the main criterion is the places that the student teams occupy in the finals of the competitions. – explained the Director of Communications of the Presidential Platform "Russia – the land of opportunities" Olga Dobrina. – We thank educational institutions for their involvement in the system of engineering competitions and the contribution they make to the development of future professionals."

The CASE-IN Student League currently has 14 ratings in key areas of the Russian industry: from mining and exploration to petrochemicals, automation, architecture and space technologies. A separate rating is conducted for the Autumn Cup of the championship.

 "CASE-IN is not just about cases and engineering solutions. We are developing this project as a social elevator for young people, which helps schoolchildren, students and young professionals realize their potential, choose a future profession, receive in-demand modern education and grow professionally in key industries for our country., – said the founder and co-chairman of CASE-IN Artem Korolev. – To increase the motivation of young people, heads of educational organizations and companies to participate in the project, the CASE-IN organizing committee annually compiles updated ratings in each of the leagues. They reflect the involvement of each participant and organization in the championship, even minor success increases the final position. A high place in the rating makes it possible to increase the brand awareness of a company or organization among the youth of the industry. Thanks to this initiative, the level of competition and solutions presented is increasing, and new bright and talented participants are coming to the championship."

By the end of 2025 St. Petersburg Mining University of Empress Catherine II He became the leader of the championship, entering the top three of eight ratings at once. In the fields of "Electric power industry", "Oil and gas business", "Mining" and "Geological Exploration", Gorny took the first places, in "Metallurgy" – the second, and in "Mining machinery and equipment", "Architecture, design, construction and housing", as well as in the Autumn Cup – the third.

The oldest technical university in Russia has been supporting the championship for many years and is one of the most decorated. Participation in the CASE-IN helps students not only develop promising industry solutions, but also become high-level professionals. Over the years, dynastic teams have formed at the university, passing on their experience to new generations.

One of the representatives of the new wave of winners is a student of Applied Geology at St. Petersburg Mining University. Alice Serova. Her introduction to the championship in 2024 was marked by the raising of the champion's cup over her head, and a year later she managed to repeat this success.

"I am inspired by the fact that at the championship it is possible to solve real production tasks and strengthen the knowledge gained at the university. – Alice Serova talks about the advantages of the international competition. – It is very difficult to propose something "non-standard" in the direction of "Geological exploration", but my team and I were able to prepare optimal and rational solutions in terms of designing exploration work. Well-coordinated teamwork helped us.: we found a balance in our work, learned how to allocate tasks, set deadlines for ourselves and follow them."

Active participation in the championship also had a positive impact on the attractiveness of the university for applicants: in 2025, the number of applications submitted increased from 24,877 to 36,400, and the number of enrolled students increased from 6,200 to 10,300.

National Research Center Tomsk Polytechnic University not only has he been included in the TOP 3 CASE-IN ratings three times, but also he became the leader of the subject rating of Russian universities, leading training in socially significant engineering specialties: "electric power engineering and electrical engineering", "thermal power engineering and heat engineering", "energy engineering". It was prepared for the fourth time by the prestigious rating agency RAEX.

An entire group of universities has two hits in the top three rankings at once.: this Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Kazan National Research Technological University, Samara State Technical University and Tyumen Industrial University. Another 22 universities are represented at the forefront of industry ratings at one time.

Graduate of KNRTU Ayrat Kasimov He is one of those who stood at the origins of the creation of the triumphant Initiators team, which almost every participant knows today. Students from the Republic of Tatarstan, despite previously winning CASE-IN titles, continued to participate in the championship again, confirming their skills and high level of training at their native university.

"I joined the project for the first time in 2022 and since then I have not missed a single championship, even after completing my studies at the university.- the young man recalls . – I became the captain of the team, which became the prize-winner and the winner: in the main season-2023 we became the second, and in 2024 we took the 1st place in the field of Petrochemistry. After graduation, I assembled a team of young specialists at Kazanorgsintez SIBUR and led it to the finals for the first time in the company's history."

Thanks to the CASE-IN, Airat was able to launch a professional career. As a third-year student, the young man and his team successfully solved a case from SIBUR, after which he received an invitation to an internship in its digital office, and then got a job at the company. 

"I am currently in my second year of a master's degree, and I continue to work for this company as an expert on digitalization.  Of course, I don't forget about the championship and motivate young employees to participate in it., – he told me. – The championship is an integral part of me and my development. It became a starting point for me, like university exams – between seasons I look for materials, new technologies and innovations that can be applied both at work and at the championship."

Over the past 4 years, Airat Kasimov and his colleagues have developed dozens of breakthrough solutions for Russia's largest companies. One of the most promising and interesting was invented in 2023 and involved increasing ALROSA's profits from rare diamonds.

"We proposed to create a Digital Diamond project, the essence of which was to sell a share in a unique diamond. We can say that we have come up with a digital diamond market, which anyone can buy a share in., – the CASE-IN ambassador shared the nuances of the development. – By solving all kinds of cases, I learned how to work in a team, mastered problem-solving techniques, and learned what brainstorming is. This championship gave me an understanding of how to solve business problems, find an approach to them and evaluate the depth of project development."

Tyumen Industrial University He managed to rise in the rankings due to the successful performance of students in 2024 and 2025. One of the creators of this breakthrough is a graduate student Dmitry Belov, who won victories together with his teams in the areas of "Petrochemistry" and "Mining machinery and equipment". 

Participation in the CASE-IN is a powerful career elevator that opens doors to leading companies in the fuel and energy complex, he is sure.: "After the victories, I visited one of SIBUR's key enterprises in Ufa, and also received several invitations for internships and job offers from partner companies of the championship - this is the best confirmation of the practical value of the solutions that we proposed. But then a decision was made in favor of postgraduate studies, upon admission to which the winner's diploma provided additional points and became a significant advantage. My choice in favor of science was largely predetermined after participating in the CASE-IN and other projects of the Presidential Platform "Russia – the land of Opportunities".

For a young person, CASE-IN is a real ecosystem of growth that goes far beyond academic competition. Thanks to the project, he has mastered a unique set of "flexible" skills that are difficult to acquire in a student audience.

"I have improved my soft skills to the maximum level, learned how to quickly rally a diverse team, effectively distribute tasks and find consensus in the face of a tight deadline. But the main skill is the ability to "package" a complex technical idea into a convincing and vivid presentation for company management. At the university, they teach you how to solve problems, and CASE-IN teaches you how to sell these solutions, argue their value and defend your position in front of experts, which is especially valuable for a career. In 10 years, I see myself at the intersection of science, engineering and management, as someone who implements breakthrough developments in the real sector.", – Dmitry Belov shared. 

Traditionally, he performs powerfully in the championship IrNITA: over the past 5 years – 11 hits in the top three finals. Fourth year student Artyom Andreev, having become the winner of the Project Engineering direction in 2024 and the bronze medalist of the Autumn Cup in the Oil Refining and Petrochemistry direction in 2025, I am confident that success in CASE-IN significantly strengthens the resume and is an important confirmation of professional and analytical competencies. 

"For me, CASE-IN is, first of all, an opportunity to make themselves known to representatives of leading companies in the industry, establish professional contacts and test their knowledge and skills in a competitive environment. Competing with the strongest students from all over the country, we try to represent our university with dignity and contribute to strengthening its reputation.", – he emphasized.

At the championship, students from Irkutsk traditionally offer non-standard and memorable approaches to solving tasks, consciously avoiding template solutions. "It is important not only to solve the problem correctly, but also to show a fresh look at the problem of the industry. Artyom Andreev is convinced. – In the process of working on the cases, I had to master a number of new skills for myself, including financial modeling, the basics of risk management and elements of project design. The level of public speaking and reasoning skills has increased significantly. Erudition, complexity of thinking and speed of information processing have also improved. All these competencies have become an important superstructure over my engineering foundation, which I received at the university. In general, CASE-IN brings me step by step closer to my goal – I want to become an industrial expert."

In addition to solving cases, universities compete in the effectiveness of organizing and conducting regional competitions: the results are recorded in a separate rating, and the winners receive the Energy of Education award.

Another opportunity for educational organizations to confirm the high quality of student training and improve their positions in the rankings will be presented this spring as part of the XIV season of the International Engineering CASE-IN Championship. Any university can break into the cohort of the strongest at any moment – all you need to do is delegate student teams to participate in the competition and become part of a large-scale engineering community. 

All CASE-IN Student League ratings are available at the link. 

You can register and get detailed information about the championship at the link.

The organizers of the Championship are the Reliable Change Foundation, the Presidential Platform Russia – the Land of Opportunities, the Non-profit Partnership Youth Forum of Mining Leaders and AstraLogica LLC.  The project is included in the "Science to Win" initiative of the plan Decades of Science and Technology in Russia.