Olympiads of Schoolchildren as an Instrument of the Strategy of Recruitment of Entrants

In the context of demographic decline and increasing competition between universities, the issues of recruiting talented youth acquire strategic importance. Subject Olympiads for schoolchildren act not only as a tool for identifying highly motivated schoolchildren, but also as a mechanism for the early formation of a connection between an applicant and a university. Based on an analysis of the Olympiad portfolio of Kaliningrad State Technical University – 10,602 participants in the selection round and 2,193 finalists over the period from 2021 to 2026 – the effectiveness of Olympiad recruitment as an element of the strategy for attracting applicants is assessed. An increase in the number of participants by 113 percent was established, and the stabilization of conversion at the level from 19 to 22 percent was established. Key "donor Olympiads" providing more than half of all finalists were identified. Measures to reduce the educational migration of Olympiad participants are proposed. The results can be used to optimize the Olympiad portfolio and to justify applications for inclusion in the list of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

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