How to Attract and Retain Winners of the Science Competitions to Study Engineering

Abstract

This paper we explore challenges and opportunities of talent attraction and retention in middle-sized regional engineering university in Russia. This research effort aims to reveal the motivation of STEM Olympiads winners already enrolled at the middle-sized regional engineering university in Tatarstan, Russia – Kazan National Research Technical University named after A.N. Tupolev (KNRTU-KAI) – to apply to this particular university instead of traditionally more “prestigious” options. The paper is an attempt to identify attractive features and shortcomings of studying at KNRTU-KAI and to suggest actions to attract more exceptional talents as well as to retain the existing ones.