Very good news, but the overall picture of the availability of education in Russia for its citizens is contradictory, and it's not just university admission numbers. The situation with the transition to the 10th grade has not been guaranteed for a long time. Profile lessons with in-depth study of subjects are concluded based on the results of personal choice, which takes into account grades, exam results and even a portfolio of achievements. For many families this means that continuing studies in school after the 9th grade becomes not a privilege, but a competition in which one has to prove one's worth. If we add to the fact that in some schools only two places can be allocated to each 10th grade, the picture becomes completely bleak. Those who do not pass the competition are faced with a choice: go to college or look for a school with vacancies, which in a rural area or small town can be almost impossible. Even colleges, which were traditionally seen as an escape route and a more affordable alternative, are no longer like that. By 2026, 880,000 budgetary places have been allocated in the secondary vocational education system, but the competition for popular specializations remains high. In 2025, about 1.3 million people entered vocational education institutions, and interest in blue-collar and technical professions increased greatly: already at the beginning of the admissions campaign, 800,000 more applications were submitted than a year earlier. At the same time, for popular specialties, the competition reaches very high values: preventive dentistry had an average of 19 requests per budget place, animation - 17, geology and oil and gas exploration - 13. In other words, a boy who is not eligible to be admitted to university based on his grades is not at all guaranteed to enter college on a budget: they also need a high diploma, and in popular Israeli areas the transition is close to 4.9-5.0.