creative young individuals. Involving leading scientists in student education, in close contact with them in their creative environment. An individualized approach to encourage the cultivation of students' creative drive and to avoid overloading them with unnecessary subjects and rote learning common in other schools and necessitated by mass education. Conducting their education in an atmosphere of research and creative engineering, using the best existing laboratories in the country. Departments The institute has eleven departments, ten of them with an average of 80 students admitted annually into each. Radio Engineering and Cybernetics General and Applied Physics Aerophysics and Space Research Molecular and Biological Physics Physical and Quantum Electronics Aeromechanics and Flight Engineering Applied Mathematics and Control Problems of Physics and Power Engineering Innovation and High Technology Nano-, Bio-, Information and Cognitive Technologies Admissions Most students apply to MIPT immediately after graduating from high school at the age of 18. Traditionally, applicants were required to take written and oral exams in both mathematics and physics, write an essay and have an interview with the faculty. In recent years, oral exams have been eliminated, but the interview remains an important part of the selection process. The strongest performers in national physics and mathematics competitions and IMO/IPhO participants are granted admission without exams, subject only to the interview. In accordance with the traditions of the Soviet education system, education at MIPT is free for most students. Further, students receive small scholarships (as of 2020, $70–105 for bachelor's and $110–140 for master's degree per month, depending on the student's performance) and rather cheap (as of 2020, $13–20 per month, depending on location and comfortability) housing on campus. Education It normally takes six years for a student to graduate from MIPT. The curriculum of the first three years consists exclusively of compulsory courses, with emphasis on mathematics, physics and English. There are no significant curriculum differences between the departments in the first three years. A typical course load during the first and second years can be over 48 hours a week, not including homework. Classes are taught five days a week, beginning at 9:00 am or 10:30 am and continuing until 5:00 pm, 6:30 pm, or 8:00 pm. Most subjects include a combination of lectures and seminars (problem-solving study sessions in smaller groups) or laboratory experiments. Lecture attendance is optional, while seminar and lab attendance affects grades. Andre Geim, a graduate and Nobel prize winner stated